There are sure to be plenty of big announcements during tomorrow’s Xbox Games Showcase, and if a recent online sale is any indication, one of them could be Microsoft’s rumored acquisition of Warner Bros. Interactive. Parent company AT&T announced that they are selling off WB’s video game division as a way of paying for their highly-publicized purchase of the entertainment conglomerate last year.
This has left the fates of such gaming franchises as Mortal Kombat and Hitman up in the air as Warner Bros. Interactive began to shop around for a new owner. Recently, Xbox parent company Microsoft shot up to the top of the list of potential buyers, with word that they were hoping to bolster their Xbox lineup with WB’s impressive slate of gaming developers like Traveler’s Tales, Rocksteady, and NetherRealm Studios spreading over the past few weeks. Now, a recent discount on the studio’s titles makes it seem like a deal could be formally announced sooner rather than later.
A special sale on all Warner Bros. Interactive-developed titles was announced on the official Xbox Twitter page last night, with an image of various characters from games like Injustice 2, Mortal Kombat 11, and Middle Earth: Shadow Of Mordor. It also contains text that reads “Spending less money on games means more money for other things like games.” While the reasons for the Warner Bros. Interactive-centric discount on Microsoft’s online store are still unclear, some have theorized that this is to herald a buyout announcement at tomorrow’s Xbox Games Showcase, which would bring the huge publisher and its properties under the Xbox Game Studios banner.
This week’s Xbox Games Showcase event was announced a few weeks ago, after a long silence in the wake of the PlayStation 5’s buzz-worthy unveiling in June. It has been revealed that the upcoming Halo: Infinite will be displayed during the festivities this Thursday, as well as some new first-party titles that have never been seen before. In preparation for the event, Xbox released over 70 free demos online in a move not unlike the current sale on Warner Bros. Interactive games.
While this sale on WB-published titles on Microsoft’s online store might be some sort of promotion and nothing more, Xbox adding juggernaut franchises like Hitman and Rocksteady’s critically acclaimed Batman Arkham series to their slate of first-party exclusives could have serious ramifications for the upcoming console generation. It could also mean that a new Warner-owned title or two could be revealed at the event, like the previously-rumored Batman Arkham reboot by Warner Montreal. As such, all eyes will be on this Thursday’s Xbox Games Showcase, but fans can now help themselves to several great Warner Bros. Interactive titles at discount prices in the meantime.
