Daily Briefing: Tuesday 18th May

WB Games Breaking Up

AT&T are spinning off their media business in a combination sale & merger with Discovery. Some leemtns of WarnerMedia and Discovery will form a new yet-unnamed company, focused on streaming. According to a spokesperson, some of WB Games will stay with AT&T and others will go with the new company.

• We can't say for sure, but there are a few ideas to follow. DC Comics is going to the new company, which means the WB Games studios known for DC properties could follow - TT Games, NetherRealm, Rocksteady and WB Montreal are currently on DC games, so they're a start. If they go, Monolith will probably follow. As for Avalanche, who are on Hogwarts Legacy, or any of the other studios, we're unsure.

GTA V Re-Release In November

Yes, GTA V is finally going to span 3 whole console generations this November, when the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions launch. These versions are "expanded and enhanced", as per their original announcements, with visual, technical and performance enhancements.

• Take-Two recently revealed GTA V has sold over 140 million copies, with 2020 being one of the best years since its launch. Maybe Holiday 2021 will bump that upwards of 150 million. GTA VI is well-funded, but it has a VERY difficult act to follow.

Mass Effect LE Breaks Bioware's Steam Record

Mass Effect hype is alive and well! The LE release brought 59,650 concurrent players. While only a fraction of Apex's 330,879, it shows a real hunger among PC players for good Bioware content. While comparing it to other Bioware games isn't very accurate, given most of them were restricted to Origin, the number is still fairly impressive.

• ME:LE seems to be a major victory for EA and Bioware, drawing a lot of attention and reviewing very well. It's an old game, sure, but it's a vision of what Bioware were once capable of. If both Bioware and EA can feel this as a rallying cry for Mass Effect 4, hope could yet remain for fans.

Devolver Digital to go public, valuation up to $1.4bn

According to the Telegraph, Devolver is seeking to go public by the end of 2021 on the London Stock Exchange. Apparently, the valuation is largely driven by the explosive success of Devolver-published Fall Guys in 2020, selling over 8 million copies within a month and dominating the news cycle for months on end. Devolver have yet to comment.

• Given how on-point Devolver are in indie publishing, $1.4bn seems a bit low. They clearly have the knowledge, talent and systems to pick up nothing but success after success - creatively, critically, or commercially. Seriously, the worst thing you say about a Devolver-published game is "that's not really for me".