Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment parent company AT&T is reportedly no longer looking to sell off the video game development and publishing division. According to sources speaking to Bloomberg, one factor in the change of heart is the decision that WBIE might be considered too valuable to sell off.
After all, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment represents a sizable collection of studios with a number of notable releases over the years like Batman: Arkham dev Rocksteady, Mortal Kombat dev Netherrealm, WB Games Montreal, Middle-earth: Shadow of War dev Monolith Productions, and Scribblenauts dev 5th Cell.
Many of those studios recently announced or detailed next gen projects as well, including Traveller’s Tales’ Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, WB Games Montreal’s Gotham Knights, and Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
Earlier whispers of a potential sale had reportedly managed to catch the eye of potential buyers like Microsoft, Take-Two Interactive, Electronic Arts, and Activision Blizzard, with some reports saying the acquisition could be priced at as much as $4 billion.
Bloomberg’s report says that the decision to abandon the sale could be subject to change down the line, but notes that its sources say WBIE was deemed too valuable to offload currently as part of a debt reduction effort.