Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav said on a call with investors that in games, they are fully committed to transforming the company’s biggest franchises into live service models.
Specifically, Zaslav mentioned series such as Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, Batman and Mortal Kombat. These should all transform from traditional releases every 3 to 4 years to more “always on” live services across multiple platforms and often with a “free-to-play extension.”
The goal of this switch is of course clear: “more players spending more time on more platforms.” This should of course also lead to more income.
This development in itself is not new. Various game companies have been working for some time to keep their traditional franchises longer and more consistently relevant, which means you quickly end up with a live service model.
Although that can certainly be a success story, there are also many examples where it does not work. Moreover, many gamers fear that more traditional (single player) games will disappear and that many microtransactions will take their place.
