Believe it or not, the next Mortal Kombat and Arkham games could be Xbox (and PC) exclusives. According to a pay-walled report from The Information, Microsoft is contemplating the purchase of Warner Bros.’s gaming division, which parent company AT&T may sell to pay off the massive debt it owes from its $109 billion acquisition of Time Warner in 2018.
“Microsoft has expressed interest in acquiring the games division of Warner Bros., the publisher behind popular game franchises based on Batman, Harry Potter and other characters, according to two people familiar with the situation,” The Information reported in its exclusive article.
“An acquisition of the business, which consists of game development studios scattered around the U.S., Canada and the U.K., would help Microsoft expand the game-making capabilities of its Xbox group. But Warner’s parent, AT&T, hasn’t yet decided whether to sell the business. It is weighing the possibility as it looks at ways of paying down its $154 billion in debt, which stems partly from its 2018 acquisition of Time Warner, now known as WarnerMedia,” it continued.
Now, we all know that Microsoft has extremely deep pockets, so WB Games joining Xbox Game Studios seems like a very real possibility. Xbox is also in dire need of some heavy-hitting exclusives, so an acquisition would make total sense. Remember, Warner Bros. Interactive comprises some kick-ass studios, such as NetherRealm and Rocksteady, which are almost assuredly plotting new Mortal Kombat and Batman games already.