Warner Bros sees 41% year-on-year drop in Q2 gaming revenue due to Suicide Squad sales
Warner Bros Discovery has announced that its Q2 gaming revenue has fallen 41% year-on-year, thanks in part to the sales performance of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
According to the company’s Q4 2024 earnings results, which were published on Wednesday, all of its major segments including cinema, TV and video games saw a decrease in revenue compared to Q2 2023.
“Games revenue declined 41% ex-FX, primarily driven by the weak performance of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League this year, compared to the strong performance of Hogwarts Legacy in the prior year,” the studio said.
Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League was the company’s biggest recent video game release. Developed by Arkham series creators Rocksteady, the game was met with mixed reviews and failed to achieve a consistent player base.
During its last earnings results in May 2024, Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav said the difference between Suicide Squad’s performance and that of Hogwarts Legacy last year had resulted in “a $200 million impact to EBIDTA [earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation] during the first quarter”.
According to Bloomberg, a large number of Rocksteady developers are currently working on a new version of Hogwarts Legacy. Following the Batman Arkham studio’s struggles in the live service space, it’s claimed that Rocksteady leaders are also planning to pitch a new single-player title to Warner Bros. Games.
Warner will release another Harry Potter title next month. Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions will be released on September 3, 2024. It will be released for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.
Quidditch Champions has been in development for several years at LA-based Unbroken Studios, which also contributed to the console versions of Rocksteady Studios‘ Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
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