Among the vast video game landscape, WB Games, short for Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE), is one of the world's major studios.

It boasts an incredibly impressive portfolio of franchises, titles, and partnerships and has been struggling to take its place in the gaming arena.

So, what makes WB Games so special? How has it grown and shaped over the years? Which are the most outstanding titles out of its roster? In this article, which will be discussed in-depth, is the wonderful journey of WB Games-its major milestones, best franchises, and influence on the gaming society.

Origins of WB Games

Warner Bros. is mainly known as one of the biggest film and television studios in the world, penetrating the interactive entertainment with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment in 1993. WBIE was first publishing video games on the properties of Warner Bros.

It licensed them mostly at an early period with well-known film and TV intellectual properties such as Batman, Superman, The Matrix, and Looney Tunes.

But the video game market was changing, and WBIE saw an opening to switch its portfolio of games. It made a gargantuan leap in 2004 by acquiring Monolith Productions, creators of one of the most highly acclaimed series in the market, including F.E.A.R and No One Lives Forever.

This encouraged WB Games to begin making original products outside of the licensed properties, which had been its meat.

Beyond Film Franchises

WB Games had, for a long time, been synonymous with titles based on the DC Universe, most notably Batman. The Batman: Arkham series, developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by WB Games, is perhaps the greatest example of how to make a video game of a comic book icon. Those titles changed the banner for superhero games with innovative combat systems, open environments, and storytelling that is full of heart.

However, WB Games was not content to simply jump onto the Batman bandwagon. The company grew over time with a wide and diverse range of genres and IPs. Acquisitions of such notable studios as NetherRealm Studios, whose Mortal Kombat, and TT Games, makers of the LEGO games, further guaranteed the place of WB Games firmly in the middle of video game powerhouses.

Now let's delve into some of the best branded titles that have emanated from the WB Games tag.

Batman: Arkham Series – The Superhero Reinvented

One of the biggest achievements by WB Games was the Batman: Arkham series. The game franchise was developed by Rocksteady Studios in 2009 starting with Batman: Arkham Asylum.

The game received plenty of critical and commercial success, and it was fluid and engaging in combat style, storyline, and atmosphere.

It was a game-changer for superhero games, often failing in attempting to grasp the best-loved characters from comic books.

The game's sequel, Batman: Arkham City, was published in 2011. It took all that the first part provided and spread it across an enlarged world of the game itself, from which the gamer could freely roam around Gotham City.

Further sequels followed Batman: Arkham Origins and Batman: Arkham Knight. Both games were a great success and elevated the franchise to one of the best video game series of superhero origins ever created.

A uniqueness of Arkham games was in the reconciliation of complex, character-driven narratives with engaging gameplay mechanics.

The combat system, which allowed players to seamlessly chain attacks, blocks, and counters, was a blueprint for many other action games.

Mortal Kombat – Reviving a Fighting Game Classic

When WB Games acquired NetherRealm Studios, they gained one of the most recognizable and historic fighting game franchises within gaming history: Mortal Kombat.

First created by Ed Boon and John Tobias in 1992, Mortal Kombat had already seen its brand etch itself into the gaming world through its intense combat, over-the-top finishing moves known as "fatalities," and play.

Yet by mid 2000s, the franchise had begun to lose some of that luster. Everything changed when WB Games released Mortal Kombat, also known as MK9, in 2011.

The reboot was a return to form for the series: it brought forth intense fighting mechanics, a healthy story mode, and of course, the trademark fatalities for which fans had come to anticipate.

With the help of Mortal Kombat 9, which brought along Mortal Kombat X and 11 as commercial successes, it once again became one of the best-selling fighting game brands under the command of WB Games.

The company did more than revive Mortal Kombat to the scale it once was, eventually making it one of the best-selling fighting game franchises ever.

LEGO Video Games – Fun for All the Family with Creative Flair

Another jewel in WB Games' crown is its long-running partnership with TT Games, developers of the superlative LEGO video games.

The LEGO games are famous for their humor, accessible gameplay, and creative re-imaginings of popular film franchises.

From the LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Harry Potter, to the LEGO Marvel Super Heroes series, these games have always provided entertainment for players of all ages.

Blending the charm of the LEGO brand with the stories and characters of classic franchises is what makes the LEGO games appeal. Some light puzzle-solving and combat are present while players recreate iconic moments in the movies with a playful twist.

The LEGO games have become exponentially bigger in recent years, featuring completely new stories, starting from LEGO City Undercover and moving to LEGO Worlds, which would even let the player build their own worlds, tapping into that classic LEGO creative spirit.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor & Shadow of War was the companion piece of innovation in open-world gaming.

WB Games released Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, an open-world action-adventure game set in the world of Middle-earth created by J.R.R. Tolkien, in 2014. Monolith Productions worked on this game.

In reality, it was for this reason that the game so launched the Nemesis System-a dynamic generation system whereby enemy characters remember encounters with the player in some way-that made the game more personal and immersive in the experience because players would develop rivalries over time with specific enemies in the game.

Shadow of Mordor became a critical and commercial hit for its fluid combat, engaging open-world design, and the introduction of the Nemesis System, adding a new level to the game AI.

Its success spawned Middle-earth: Shadow of War, launched in 2017, which developed mechanics from the first game but pushed them further with, for instance, the possibility of creating and commanding armies.

The Middle-earth games are those unique examples showing WB Games' ability to innovate within established genres while giving players an experience unique and compelling.

Injustice: Gods Among Us & Injustice 2 – Superheroes in a New Light

Apart from the Batman: Arkham series, WB Games was successful in another franchise that believed in superheroes, Injustice. This is a fighting game developed by NetherRealm Studios, which pits DC Comics superheroes against their villains in an epic battle.

Injustice: Gods Among Us was the first game to be released in 2013, with an alternate universe in which Superman had become a tyrant, ruling the world in an iron fist.

Deep, cinematic story modes were relatively rare for fighting games. Injustice's success made way for a 2017 sequel, Injustice 2, which expanded on the rosters of characters and introduced the gameplay twist of customizing fighters with gear and abilities.

Not only did the Injustice games provide tremendous fighting experiences and deep moral complexity to the game but also offered a refreshing take on the superhero genre.

Hitman Series Post-2016: The Rebirth of Stealth Genres

Although the Hitman series itself predates WB Games' work on it, it certainly helped shape its modern form. In 2018, WB published IO Interactive's work on Hitman 2.

Similar to HITMAN, released in 2016, the game was out as an episodic release, consisting of quite a few open-ended assassination missions set in extremely intricate and detailed environments.

Hitman 2 continued to reach heights under WB Games, as levels became more open-ended with new gameplay mechanics there.

Coupled with the many pieces of post-launch content, the game showed the strength and support that IO Interactive later became known for when they would go independent.

The Future of WB Games

By 2024, WB Games is still one of the most iconic gaming companies.

Having Batman, Mortal Kombat, and LEGO businesses still on the rise, the company doesn't seem to be slowing down. Titles that are still in anticipation include Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Hogwarts Legacy.

The future for WB Games is highly likely to be largely influenced by the advent of new technologies, such as VR, AR, and cloud gaming.

WB Games is perfectly positioned to explore new frontiers with the wide variety of intellectual properties at their disposal and a history of innovation, thus continuing to pursue excellence in the gaming world.

Conclusion

WB Games has made its way from the beginning in 1993. The company began with a simple level: they published licensed games. In fact, since that time, the company rose to be the giant of the game world as it took its tools to deliver memorable experiences for a broad variety of genres.

Whether it's the groundbreaking Batman: Arkham series, the family-friendly LEGO games, or even the popular Madden NFL franchises, WB Games has grown into one of the most powerful names within the gaming universe.