Warner Bros is ‘looking at’ licensing its IP to other game studios

Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav says he’s looking into licensing the company’s IP to non-Warner Bros studios to produce games.

Speaking as part of the company’s financial results, Zaslav discussed why he thought 2023’s Hogwarts Legacy was such a success, and how that can be the template for future Warner titles.

“One of the reasons that Hogwarts Legacy was so successful and the number one game last year, [was that] you went to Hogwarts Legacy and you entered the game and you were able to become part of that world,” Zaslav said (via IGN).

“That, ultimately, I think is a big piece of where this industry is going. That we’ll create a movie, whether it’s Batman or Superman or Harry Potter, and maybe there’ll be a TV show, but the ability to go in that world and have that experience of spending time with all the characters is something that we still own.

“We have 11 studios here, and we have a lot of IP. And there’s also a lot of interest among others in coming to take advantage of some of that IP for gaming, which we’re looking at.”

Despite a large number of established IP, Warner has faced difficulty in recent years. While Mortal Kombat continues to be a success, and Hogwarts Legacy was one of 2023’s biggest games, several of its largest properties have been largely untouched in recent years.

While Batman features in Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, a solo non-VR Batman video game hasn’t been released since 2015’s Batman Arkham Knight.

Warner Bros also recently acquired Player First Games, the studio behind its crossover fighter, MultiVersus.