(Reuters) – Warner Bros Discovery’s gaming unit head David Haddad is leaving the company after 12 years in the role, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters on Thursday.
Haddad, the president of Warner Bros Games, will stay on for the next three months as the company looks for his replacement, said JB Perrette, president of global streaming and games at the media giant.
“David has thoughtfully and purposefully chosen a time when our release schedule is lighter, which will help minimize disruption to our ongoing projects and strategic plans and allow this team to smoothly prepare for its next record-breaking title,” Perrette said in the memo.
In his role, Haddad has overseen the development and publishing of multiple games and franchises, including “Hogwarts Legacy”, “Game of Thrones: Conquest” and “Golf Clash”.
“Hogwarts Legacy” topped sales charts in 2023 as gamers flocked to the world of Harry Potter, while the hit fighting game “Mortal Kombat 1” also broke into the top 10 best-selling games that year, according to industry tracker Circana.
The company’s big release in 2024, however, underperformed gamers’ and the company’s expectations. “Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League” was planned as a live-service game, which consists of in-game purchases and regular content updates to keep players engaged.
After a lackluster release and weak sales, the studio behind the game announced it would end updates to the title after the launch of the final season in January.
(Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese and Zaheer Kachwala in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
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