A job listing by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE) was recently spotted by a video game industry analyst with the Twitter handle MauroNL3 for a Games Production MBA intern. The interesting thing to note was the inclusion of a particular statement in the job description:
WBIE is currently involved in a variety of new projects, ranging from casual games to core games featuring our well-known franchises on all platforms (console, digital, mobile) with a heavy focus on live service.
Publishing giant WBIE has a host of games lined up for 2021 – from Gotham Knights by WB Games Montréal, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga in collaboration with TT Games, Traveller’s Tales, Lucasfilm, Back 4 Blood by Turtle Rock Studios, to the now-delayed Hogwarts Legacy by Avalanche Software and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League by Rocksteady Studios. The studios under WBIE that do not currently have any announced games are NetherRealm (Mortal Kombat), Monolith Productions (Shadow of War), WB Games Boston and SF (mobile) and Playdemic (LEGO Mobile).
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE) is currently involved in a variety of new projects featuring their well-known franchises with a "heavy focus on live service". This applies to both casual games and core games on all platforms (console, digital and mobile).
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— MauroNL (@MauroNL3) January 25, 2021
To what extent will these live service elements be? An always-online requirement or a reliance on more microtransactions? There is no indication in the job page whether all games by WBIE will be having some form of live-service components, but it does sow the seeds of concern in the minds of gamers since live service games in the past like Marvel’s Avengers and Anthem have been a major disappointment.