DC Games Could Be The Latest To Go Console-Exclusive
If you like your superhero games with a side of console exclusivity, picture a future where the Dark Knight or Man of Steel swoop onto Xbox and leave PlayStation owners frozen out like Mr. Freeze.
Superhero games are in something of a renaissance, with the birth of this new era largely being down to Rocksteady's Arkham games that started back in 2009. Since then, we've seen the likes of Insomniac Games take a leaf out of this book with Marvel's Spider-Man, while less successful entries include Crystal Dynamics' Marvel's Avengers.
Are DC Games Going Console Exclusive?
Away from the Arkham games, there were once hopes Rocksteady or Warner Bros. Montreal could work on a Superman game, but instead, we've got upcoming releases like Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Both games are supposed to be AAA giants available on PlayStation and Xbox, but what comes after?
According to Fanbyte's Imran Khan, WB Discovery could sell studios including Injustice's NetherRealm, Rocksteady, Warner Bros. Montreal, and Avalanche, then licence the IPs to other companies. If this was the case, it would mean these major franchises would be made by third-party studios. Even though Khan said he couldn't get confirmation to write a whole post on a potential sale, he believes this could be Warner Bros.' next move.
Despite Microsoft's massive acquisition of Activision Blizzard suggesting it might not be able to buy Warner Bros.' big studios at the same time, it's still possible. Even though Sony is another interested party, remember Insomniac is a first-party studio that's currently looking at expanding its own library of Marvel games, so seems unlikely to take on DC too. All of this fits with previous reports that Warner Bros. will sell off its various studios.
Who Could Buy The DC Catalogue?
Click to enlargeAway from the big two, Khan suggests EA, Take-Two, Tencent, Netease, and PUBG Corp. are also in the running - which suggests a potential deal could be just over the horizon. The industry is in a state of flux right now, with Khan's WB musings coming just after the announcement that Square Enix could be selling off its own studios to The Embracer Group. Going against the latest update, remember Warner Bros. recently suggested it was about to massively increase its output of DC titles.
Ultimately, if Warner Bros. does sell its DC properties, we could see them diluted. We've already seen Rocksteady delay Kill the Justice League, while you only have to look at the myriad of delays that have faced Hogwarts Legacy. Considering these titans of pop culture are on the chopping block, it's a sad state of affairs that WB could be about to slice and dice some of its most popular IPs.