The next projects of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, including top games from its biggest franchises, will have a “strong focus on play as a service”, according to a job in the company.
Discovered by Twitter user MauroNL3, a job posting to find an MBA in game production includes a section that reads: “WBIE is currently involved in a variety of new projects, ranging from casual games to core games with our well-known franchises across all platforms (console, digital, mobile) with a strong focus on game as a service.”.
With the topic of games as a service, it refers to the process of continually updating a game after launch to keep players interested, add new features, items, stories, and more. Something that has become an increasingly profitable model for developers and publishers across the industry. However, it is not without controversy, with high-profile releases such as BioWare’s launch of Anthem with notably sparse content, or the more recent Avengers title (Square Enix), whose creators did not recoup their development costs after its release. launching.
No details are given, but we can assume that the upcoming Back 4 Blood will include live service elements, given its nature. Similarly, any future Mortal Kombat and Injustice (NetherRealm) games owned by WB would likely incorporate live service elements, as they have already done in recent iterations.
What is less clear is which other announced WBIE games may include similar ideas and to what extent. The publisher is currently working on Hogwarts Legacy, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, neither of which have outwardly announced items of this type.
WB Montreal’s upcoming Gotham Knights apparently won’t be part of that push either – their developers previously told IGN that “it was not designed as a game as a service”, apart from they also confirmed that this will tell an independent story, rather than offer an evolving narrative.
We have contacted WBIE for comment, but have not received a response at time of publication.
It wasn’t long ago that we discussed the future of WBIE as a whole, until parent company AT&T announced that it was no longer looking to sell the company, after reportedly considering it. “Too valuable to put down.”.
