Warner Bros Discovery Sharpens Focus on Key Gaming Franchises
Warner Bros Discovery has announced a strategic refocusing of its gaming division, honing in on four major franchises: Game of Thrones, Mortal Kombat, Harry Potter, and the DC Universe. This decision comes alongside a restructuring of leadership roles within the company.
The decision to concentrate on these select franchises follows a year of mixed outcomes for Warner Bros Discovery’s gaming sector. In 2023, they released Hogwarts Legacy, which turned out to be the best-selling game of the year. However, the subsequent year witnessed a significant setback with MultiVersus, which did not perform well commercially.
During a recent earnings call, Warner Bros Discovery’s CEO, David Zaslav, and CFO, Gunnar Wiedenfels, revealed that the failure of MultiVersus contributed an additional $100 million to an already substantial $200 million write-down in the gaming division for 2024. Zaslav acknowledged the underperformance, stating, “We recognize it is substantially underperforming its potential right now.”
Looking ahead, the gaming division is set to be integrated into the Streaming & Studios segment of Warner Bros Discovery after the company undergoes a split into two separate entities in mid-2026.
Leadership Changes
The restructuring within the company did not lead to any layoffs, but it did result in several executives assuming new responsibilities. Yves Lachance, previously the head of Warner Bros Games Montréal Studio, has been promoted to SVP Development. In his new role, Lachance will oversee development teams focused on the Harry Potter and Game of Thrones games. Meanwhile, Shaun Himmerick, the head of NetherRealm Studio, has been elevated to SVP Development for the Mortal Kombat and DC games. All game development studios and production publishing teams will now report to either Lachance or Himmerick, depending on the franchise they are working on.
Steven Flenory, formerly the head of Warner Bros Games New York Studio, has been promoted to SVP Central Tech & Services. His new role will cover a broad range of functions including Game and Publishing Technology, Customer Service, Quality Assurance, and User Research.
The newly promoted executives will join the senior leadership team of the games unit and will report directly to JB Perrette, CEO of Global Streaming & Games at Warner Bros Discovery.
Perrette expressed optimism about the new structure, stating, “Our company is home to some of the biggest franchises in the world, and we are optimizing our team structure to develop long-term franchise roadmaps to delight players and fans. We are very fortunate to have a strong stable of development and technology talent, and Yves, Shaun, and Steven are respected leaders with excellent track records in their areas of expertise. I’m looking forward to working closely with them and the team as we work to make the best games possible for our key franchises.”
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