- For Time Warner's previous video games publishing division, see Atari Games.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Inc. (WBIE) is a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group. It is a worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including console, handheld and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles. Under the WBIE umbrella is Warner Bros. Games (also the divisions major publishing unit), which focuses on the creation, development and production of select premium titles. Leveraging the distribution, marketing and sales infrastructure within Warner Home Video, WBIE is a significant worldwide publisher for both internal and third-party game titles. [2]
[edit] History
In 1995, Warner Bros. Interactive licensed out their first game property, Batman Forever to Acclaim Entertainment.[3] They continued to license games based on Cartoon Network, DC Comics, Hanna and Barbera, Looney Tunes and various Warner Bros. film properties over the years to such video game publishers as Ubisoft, EA, Infogrames and THQ.
In 2003, they co-published their first video game, Looney Tunes: Back in Action. EA was the other publisher of the game.[4]
In 2004, Warner Bros. acquired developer Monolith Productions. [5]
Logo of the
Warner Bros. Games brand
In 2005, WB Games. label was created. The first game that Monolith developed in conjunction with Warner Bros. Entertainment was The Matrix Online which SEGA helped co-publish.
In 2006, they bought a 10.3% stake in SCi Entertainment, the owner of Eidos Interactive. That same year, they released their first self published title (with no co-publishers), Justice League Heroes, it was distributed by Eidos on the Xbox.
In 2007, their goal was for a five year plan to expand in the video game industry, which includes the acquisition of studios for internal development and the creation of a studio (WB Games) in the Seattle area that will run all the games published and developed by the company.[6] Starting with the acquisition of TT Games that same year for the amount of £100 million [7]
In April 2008, they increased their stake to 35% gaining distribution right of all Eidos games in the United States, Canada and Mexico.[8] On December 15, 2008, right after SCi changed their name to Eidos plc, Warner acquired a total of 10 million shares of the company, raising its owned amount to 19.92%, after an agreement which prevented Time Warner from acquiring more shares was scrapped one month earlier.[9]. On January 28, 2009, The Hollywood Reporter reported the deal also gave Warner the rights of the Tomb Raider film series[10], previously owned by Paramount Pictures. On February 12, 2009, SQEX Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Square Enix, announced a takeover offer worth £84.3 million (32p per share) for Eidos plc.[11] which was backed by Warner Bros. as shareholder [12]. (Square Enix eventually took over the company April 22, 2009 and later changed the name to Square Enix Europe)
Warner Bros. announced on February 4, 2009 it had purchased independent developer Snowblind Studios [13]. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the acquisition serves to strengthen the publisher's internal development effort.
In May 2009, Warner offered to purchase most of the assets of American publisher Midway Games, operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, for more than $33 million dollars. The offer included Midway's studio in Chicago (Rebranded as WB Games Chicago[14]) and Surreal Software, resulting in the ownership to the rights to the Joust, Mortal Kombat, The Suffering, Spy Hunter and Wheelman series.[15] Midway Games had previously worked with Warner Bros. on several games including Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. Midway intended to hold an auction of its assets on June 29, 2009, but no other bids were placed. On July 10, 2009, the sale to Warner was completed for approximately $49 million.[16]
[edit] Studios
- Monolith Productions in Kirkland, Washington, founded in 1994, acquired in 2004.
- Snowblind Studios in Bothell, Washington, founded in 1997, acquired in 2009.
- Surreal Software in Seattle, Washington, founded in 1995, acquired from Midway Games on July 27, 2009.
- TT Games in Buckinghamshire, England, founded in 2005, acquired November 8, 2007.
- WB Games in Kirkland, Washington[17], started in 2005, became an internal developer in 2007.
- WB Games Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, founded as Midway Games Chicago in 1988, acquired from Midway Games on July 27, 2009.
[edit] Games Published, Developed or Licensed
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[edit] Cartoon Network Games
[edit] DC and Vertigo Comics Games
[edit] Hanna-Barbera Games
[edit] Looney Tunes Games
[edit] Warner Bros. Pictures Games
[edit] Other Games
[edit] Upcoming titles
Arham Asylum 2
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
