Netflix’s deal to buy the Warner brothers for $82.7 billion (approximately $585 billion RMB) gave rise to a shock in the integration industry, including the concerns of US President Trump’s actors, writers, and cinema operators. The potential market monopoly position of the new entity remains in doubt until the transaction is approved.
But once the Warner brothers confirmed that their game business would be part of the deal, the focus naturally turned to the fate of the studios under their banners, such as Netherrealm, Rocksteady, Batman: Arkham, Avalanche, Hogwarts Heritage, and T.Games, Lego series, and the future of a large number of authorized IP games. According to the Appmagic data, the Warner Brothers have had a total income of approximately $4.4 million over the past 30 days. As can be seen from the top 10 income lists, its hand-to-hand operations may be only minimal in Netflix ‘ s large content production system. The central question is: What will Netflix do with these free games that are completely incompatible with its current game strategy? With the exception of the head products such as ” The Game of Power ” , ” The Human Fist ” , Warner ‘ s most self-trained travel prospects are bleak.
Netflix has adapted some free games to his former game manager, Mike Wildow, to include them in his mobile game library after removing in-house purchasing mechanisms. However, as previously reported, the current Netflix game manager, Alain Tascan, has a very different strategy. During the regulatory approval period, which is expected to last 12 to 18 months, five games outside the income list may not stop. Warner’s authorized IP game is in a better position than that. Jam City ‘ s Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Zynga ‘ s Game of Power, a hand-swam and FunPlus ‘ DC game, are more likely to survive after the acquisition because of the existence of authorization agreements. Despite the low share of Warner, maintaining cooperation with these mature partners remains a (relative) stable source of income. The long-term fate of these games will depend on the remaining duration of the enabling agreement and the willingness of the consolidated Netflix game sector to renegotiate or directly terminate the agreement.
To date, Netflix and Warner’s official statements have made virtually no mention of the game business — to be expected, as the core motivation for the transaction is to access resources for IP, film and television dramas. If the transaction is finalized, Netflix is likely to mobilize its own in-house studios (e.g., Next Games, Moonloot, Night School) to develop new projects based on Harry Potter’s “The Game of Power”, the DC comic book or the ” One Play.” But there are times before this. As transactions enter into a 12- to-18-month approval process, the specific planning details of the game business may become clearer. Right now, Warner’s game team and its authorized partners, like many of the acquired players in recent years, are facing a period of uncertainty. The marriage of the entertainment giant, which will eventually reshape the game industry, remains a mystery.
