Warner Bros Allegedly Looking to Offload NetherRealm, TT Games

Warner Bros plans to sell NetherRealm Studios and TT Games, according to documentation seen by Windows Central scribe Jez Corden. Speaking as part of a podcast, the reporter noted that the Mortal Kombat and LEGO developers could be on the chopping block, following a complicated merger which will see overlord AT&T fuse parts of its business with cable company Discovery.

Of course, there has been uncertainty surrounding WB Games for quite some time, and it’s unclear how recent these documents are. There’s also no mention of a potential suitor, although online scuttlebutt has quickly paired the teams with Microsoft given its deep pockets and recent spending spree. Assuming the developer is up for sale, Sony could potentially see value in NetherRealm Studios considering its ownership of fighting game tournament EVO.

Corden believes that movies, not games, may be to blame for Warner Bros’ decision to offload the developers: “My guess would be that Warner Bros weren’t happy with the performance of the Mortal Kombat movie, [and] they weren’t happy with the performance of the LEGO movies. Also, the whole LEGO IP is licensed out of Denmark and that eats into their profits.”

We’re not entirely sure we agree with this theory, as The LEGO Movie grossed almost $500 million at the Box Office, leading to a sequel and a number of spin-offs. As for the Mortal Kombat movie, it did fall short of expectations, but released during the coronavirus crisis earlier this year, which will have affected its performance.

Regardless, it feels like these rumours surrounding Warner Bros are unlikely to go away, so don’t be surprised if any of the publisher’s studios get snapped up soon.