Warner Bros. will focus on free-to-play and mobile games in the future

Remember when Warner Bros. Discovery said they were going to make more live-service games back in November? Then we learned that Hogwarts Legacy, a single-player adventure game with no live-service elements, had become the best-selling game of 2023. Top that with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League being a commercial and critical failure so far, and one could hope Warner Bros. would change their mind. Apparently not.

Gamespot was the first to report that Warner Bros. Discovery gaming boss J.B. Perrette said the following when discussing future strategy at a recent Morgan Stanley speaking event:

"We're doubling down on games as an area where we think there is a lot more growth opportunity that we can tap into with the IP that we have and some of the capabilities we have on the studio where we're uniquely positioned as both a publisher and a developer of games."

Fairly good news so far, as Warner Bros. has tried to sell off its gaming studios several times through the years. But then he continues by saying something that breaks my heart:

"Rather than just launching a one-and-done console game, how do we develop a game around, for example, a Hogwarts Legacy or Harry Potter, that is a live service where people can live and work and build and play in that world in an ongoing basis?"

This includes making free-to-play games based on giant franchises like DC, Game of Thrones and Harry Potter and bringing many of them to mobile platforms, while continuing to invest even more in live-service games. Somewhat understandable, as the dream of far more consistent revenue is one many gaming publishers have mentioned as part of the extraordinary many lay-offs and studio closures we've seen the last few years. Understandable, but disappointing for those of us who prefer polished single-player games.

What do you think about this? Would you be willing to pay even more for games to avoid this, be more open to shorter games, or what?