Microsoft Reportedly Interested In Acquiring Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

If anyone is going to buy them, Microsoft is the clear best choice. All the other options, especially EA, hopefully will not get their hands anywhere near it.

Only two big players I would personally be happy with getting their hands on this are Microsoft or Ubisoft. MAYBE SquareEnix.

Microsoft getting Batman would be a major counterpoint to Sony's Spider-Man. Plus, Rocksteady are a top developer. Microsoft would do well to chase this.

If any of aforementioned should buy Warner bros studios, it's take two. MS can't run it's own studios.

Will be a major coup for Microsoft if they do it.

Whatever happens, please don't let EA get their filthy hands on them.

If Microsoft can get Batman exclusively on Xbox that would be huge...

I'm never a fan of console manufacturers buying a studio/game developer (outside of that studio about to be shut down but saved from a buyout) regardless of who it is.

While I think Microsoft should do this, if it ends up happening.....it’s not as cut & dry as some think.

The Batman IP would still be owned by WB. Microsoft would own Rocksteady, but would have to work with WB on licensing rights to make games based on the IP.

With that said, they got the $ to do it obviously. Even just getting the MK franchise alone would be great, much less the talented studios involved in the overall deal.

@Darth_Stofi

Microsoft is doing just fine, thx.

@KelticDevil maybe microsoft will just buy Rocksteady to make batman exclusive games to them from WB licensing rights they don't need MK franchise they have killer instinct this way it's way cheaper

I don't understand. If they sell Warner Bros. Interactive then it will be dissociated from Warner Bros.? What about IPs owned by Warner Bros., films rights, etc.? It's like separating Disney Interactive from Disney? I think something weird like this happened to Spiderman but I don't know how this works... @experTiger @KelticDevil Will Warner Interactive just sell the studio but not the IPs? In that case could Warner sell the licence to another studio? That would be... ironic. If Microsoft can buy Rocksteady and the Batman video games licence then great.

@Tharsman Imagine the people who created moogles and slimes owning the people who created Scorpion.

All I can think about right is
“Get over here”
followed by
“You’re not very nice Kupo.”

@BlueOcean ATT could just close down the studios, but they need money, so they trying to sell them instead. The studios alone are not worth much without IPs behind them. It is likely they Mortal Kombat would move along with NetherRealm, but they actually make DC movies and TV shows, so obviously they wont sell those IPs.

They can, however, sell the video game rights the same way Sony bought practically lifetime rights to make SpiderMan movies:
*They still pay royalties to the IP owner
*If they stop making games for X years, the rights revert back to the owner

If they want money, all these studios will come with such deals, for certain. Else it would be absurdly easy (and cheaper) for the likes of Microsoft to just poach away all the talent.

@experTiger

I thought the same thing, but WB wants to sell it all in one big chunk. Apparently, they aren’t interested in selling off the studios individually.

@BlueOcean

I am sure if this deal happened, there would be some licensing deal between Xbox & WB about the licensed IPs.

But if Microsoft just buys the studios, they don’t get the Batman franchise. It would just get Rocksteady, for example.

The one IP they would get is Mortal Kombat, however.

Okay, so they'd get Mortal Kombat because it was purchased by Nether Realm but to get Batman video games rights Warner Interactive is not enough, they have to deal with AT&T that owns Warner that owns Batman... LOL

And... Sony is paying for the Spiderman films and video games rights and recently bought the developer (Insomniac).

@BlueOcean

Sony bought the Spider-Man film rights from Marvel long ago when Marvel was in financial hell. It was long before Disney bought Marvel, so hence why Sony needs to be involved in any Marvel movie Spider-Man is in.

The gaming rights have switched hands so many times......but Sony has them now, along with the films.

But yes.....if Microsoft bought Rocksteady, they would need to work with WB to make a Batman game. Or they could just let Rocksteady make a new IP, since they are a great developer.

I just read that they're requesting $4 billion. That's too much for Mortal Kombat IP, Rocksteady and a few minor studios. Don't you think?

@BlueOcean Microsoft would also be purchasing a huge catalogue of IP including anything, I’d imagine by Midway Games and Atari Games (the arcade division which wasn’t sold back in 83). It depends on how much all of that is worth and whether Microsoft or any potential buyer sees value is owning all of that. Could easily get the newly acquired studios to start rebooting some of them such as Gauntlet.

@FragRed Thanks for your answer. I think that that amount of money is not realistic. Mojang and the Minecraft intellectual property were purchased by Microsoft for $2.5 billion and that was considered expensive at the time in spite of Minecraft being a worldwide social phenomenon.

@BlueOcean I think microsoft could have an agreement with WB using dc comics licences since they strugle alot in cinema compared to marvel so they could help them in marketing Their ip they could make batman or even a superman game or any other dc character game which will make a great counter to sony since they only have spiderman from marvel lineup and if those games are successful they will help WB getting hype around their movies

@BlueOcean That is true, but I also think $4 billion is the initial asking price to see who will bite and then who will make the best offer in the hope there’s a bidding war.

@experTiger Yeah that makes a lot of sense.

@FragRed True, I don't think anybody would pay $4 billion for that.

@BlueOcean if ms bought minecraft made by an indie company for $2.5 billion i think they could do this probably the $4 billion does include batman or even dc licences besides ms is the second most expensive company after apple

@experTiger Yes but Warner Interactive doesn't include Batman. The only included IP would be Mortal Kombat according to comments above.

@BlueOcean we don't actualy know if the $4 billion is a final price or just could go for negociation as well we don't know if it includes the ip licence it's all a speculation at this point and nothing is confirmed

@BlueOcean if Microsoft bought the studio that makes the Batman games, and DC likes the idea of having a well-known, high-selling franchise to rivals Sony with Spider-Man, it's pretty likely that Microsoft could acquire the license.

@armondo36 Yep, they would have to deal with Warner Bros. but perhaps Warner's IPs would be part of the deal.

@experTiger You're right.