Warner Bros. sees full-year game sales dip
Publisher blames decline on tough comparison against 2015 hits Mortal Kombat X and Batman: Arkham Knight
Time Warner reported results for the fiscal year ended December 31 today, revealing a down year for its Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment label. The company said video game revenues sagged for the year, and attributed the drop to difficult comparisons against an unusually strong 2015 lineup anchored by blockbusters like Mortal Kombat X and Batman: Arkham Knight.
WBIE's 2016 lineup was headlined by Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Lego Marvel's Avengers, along with the Batman: Return to Arkham next-gen ports of previously released titles in that series and Batman: Arkham VR for PlayStation VR. The company also continued to support its Lego Dimensions toys-to-life offering throughout 2016.
While the gaming business was down, Time Warner as a whole grew operating profit and revenues for the year, while the Warner Bros. division grew operating income on essentially flat revenues. The gaming business' declines were offset by the company's surging movie business (Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them were name-checked as big contributors) and a TV lineup led by series like The Big Bang Theory, The Voice, and The Bachelor.