It’s been a wild year for Warner Bros Interactive, a company that has enjoyed enormous success already thanks in large part to the continued successes ofMortal Kombat 11and its recent expansion Aftermath. The company was also a major part of the DC FanDome event this year as well, giving fans asneak peak at what it has coming in 2021and beyond.
However, there was also a bit of uncertainty this year as parent company AT&T announced it was looking to sell off its games division to help solve some of its massive debt related issues. Rumors and speculation began swirling around the studios, with all kinds ofsuitors lining up with offers as high as $4 billionto obtain the highly prized studios and the IPs likeMortal Kombat. However, AT&T decided to stay the course, which looks to have been a good call with all of the newly revealed games coming from its game division.
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Over the past couple of months, fans have seen all sorts of new content coming from Rocksteady, WB Games Montreal, and Avalanche Software, which should make for an extremely exciting time for next generation console owners.
In August, WB Games Montreal revealed the long rumoredBat Family game known asGotham Knights. The twist here, outside of the fact that this isn’t actually inside of the Arkham-verse that sister studio Rocksteady created, is that Batman has been killed off, leaving the fate of Gotham City in the hands of Red Hood, Nightwing, Robin, and Batgirl. Players have an open city to explore, RPG progression systems, customizable heroes, and two player co-op. The title also finally brings the Court of Owls faction into video games, adapting the popular comic book story line from writer Scott Snider and artist Greg Capullo.
As for Rocksteady, the studio also revealed its latest project after years and years of rumors. To the surprise of many, the studio isn’t working on a Justice League, Superman, or new Batman game. Instead, Rocksteady revealedSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguethrough a very flashy CG trailer featuring the likes of King Shark, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, and Deadshot. With a release date still a ways off, there’s a lot fans don’t know about this title, though the game appears to take place in aMetropolis that has seemingly been conquered by the villain Brainiac. The Suicide Squad has been brought in to attempt to stop the Justice League, who have been taken over by Brainiac’s influence.
As for Avalanche Software, the company has long been rumored to be working on an open worldHarry Potterstyle game. After numerous leaks which revealed a ton of gameplay details, the studio finallyconfirmedHogwarts Legacyduring a PlayStation 5 reveal eventearlier in the month. Taking place in the 1800s, players will not only get to create their own student, but choose their Hogwarts House, attend classes, and explore a sprawling world with iconic locations from the popular franchise.
While there’s plenty for fans to look forward to, there’s one piece of the Warner Bros next gen puzzle left that hasn’t been played yet. NetherRealm Studios, who last releasedMortal Kombat 11back in 2018, has confirmed thatit’s hiring for a next generation title. Since being formed in the wake of the collapse of Midway Games, Netherrealm has largely spent the past two console generations alternating betweenMortal KombatandInjustice.
Naturally, it’s easy to assume thatInjustice 3is the likely next project, however, it’s entirely possible that the company could also choose to try something new. Even with new DLC coming toMortal Kombat 11, likely leading to a port of some sort to next generation consoles, the studio could opt to test the waters with a brand new game. Being owned by Warner Bros gives the studio access to all sorts of IPs to utilize. Creative director Ed Boon has even mentioned in recent interviews thatthe studio has “other stuff in the oven"likely to prevent the studio from seeming overly predictable. With all the success that the studio has had sinceMortal Kombat (2011),the studio has certainly earned the trust of its parent company to chart its own course.
