Warner Bros. Discovery has been shopping around for a new owner the past few months, and this morning, they entered negotiations with a new winner; Netflix won over Paramount and Comcast. The deal, which combines cash and stock, will see the Stranger Things streaming service acquire Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion, while Discovery Global will spin off into a separate, independent company before the acquisition. Warner Bros. owns many major media brands, such as HBO and DC,  as well as Warner Bros. Games, a publisher that owns several major game developers. While this part of the deal was previously unclear, Game Developer has confirmed that this division will be acquired by Netflix as well.

The inclusion of Warner Bros. Games is ignored in the initial press release (the only games mentioned are Squid Game and Game of Thrones), and Game Developer reports that a conference call held this morning only briefly suggested the game publisher would be a part of the deal. Game Developer's Chris Kerr writes, "Warner Bros. Games was briefly referenced during a conference call held this morning, when the Mortal Kombat logo was shown on a 'Business Overview' slide to highlight Warner Bros.' wider game and consumer product exploits—but that blink-and-you'll-miss-it-moment was largely it." In a later call with a representative of Warner Bros. Discovery, however, Game Developer confirmed that the Warner Bros. Games division would be a part of Netflix's deal.

 

Hogwarts Legacy, Mortal Kombat, and the Batman: Arkham series are just a few of the game series Netflix will own.

Warner Bros. Games owns several major gaming studios. There's Netherrealm Studios (known for Mortal Kombat), Avalanche (developers of Hogwarts Legacy), Rocksteady (known for the Arkham series and the recent Suicide Squad game), and TT Games (known for the licensed Lego games, like Lego Star Wars and Lego Batman). There are also several WB Games studios, most notably WB Montréal, which developed Batman: Arkham Origins and Gotham Knights.

Netflix has attempted to break into the gaming scene in recent years, offering a wide range of mobile games as a part of a Netflix subscription, including apps like Cut the Rope, indie hits like Dead Cells, and even Rockstar ports like Red Dead Redemption and GTA: San Andreas. Netflix has also acquired several game studios, like Oxenfree developer Night School Studios. Netflix is currently collaborating with Life is Strange creators Don't Nod on a mysterious game adaptation of a "major IP". Still, it's unclear how far these efforts have gotten them, and adding major console developers to its portfolio could make a huge difference.

It will likely be a while before we see the results of this merger; the transaction process is lengthy and is estimated to last 12-18 months. This also assumes antitrust regulatory bodies don't get involved to slow the process, and with a deal of this size, it would not be surprising. The last deal we covered on this scale was Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which fought a major legal battle but ultimately succeeded. The jury is still out, however, on whether that merger was good for consumers or employees, as Microsoft has since laid off thousands of employees, closed several major studios, and raised the prices of its consoles and subscription service.

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, whose credits span TV and films like Memoirs of a Geisha, The Man in the High Castle, and 1995’s Mortal Kombat, died yesterday due to complications from a stroke, Deadline reports. He was 75.

Tagawa’s acting career spanned over four decades, with film credits including The Last Emperor, Rising Sun, Memoirs of a Geisha, Planet of the Apes (2000), Balls of Fury, 47 Ronin, and Kubo and the Two Strings. In television, he appeared in series including MacGyver, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Wars: Rebels, and most notably as Nobusuke Tagomi in Amazon Prime’s The Man in the High Castle. Tagawa’s final role was as Master Eiji in the 2023 Netflix animated series Blue Samurai.  

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat (1995)

For video game fans, Tagawa was best known for portraying Shang Tsung in the first live-action Mortal Kombat film. His performance as the villainous sorcerer, which featured now-famous lines like "Your soul is mine!" and "It has begun!", became so beloved that he would reprise the role in various adaptations, such as the 2013 web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy. Tagawa also appeared as Shang Tsung, voice and likeness, in Mortal Kombat 11’s Aftermath story expansion and the mobile action RPG Mortal Kombat: Onslaught.

Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon shared his condolences on X, writing,

We lost a legend today. 

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa played Shang Tsung in the 1995 Mortal Kombat film and sadly passed away at age 75. We had the privilege of his portrayal on the first MK film but also as an amazing voice actor in the Mortal Kombat 11 game.

Cary was one of a kind. He combined danger, swagger and athleticism to his roles and will always be remembered as the man who first brought Shang Tsung to life on film.

Rest in Peace. Your soul is eternal.

While closely tied to Shang Tsung, Tagawa had also portrayed another iconic fighting game villain. He played Heihachi Mishima in the live-action movie Tekken, which was released in the US in 2011, and its 2014 sequel, Tekken 2: Kazuya’s Revenge. Tagawa had voice credits in other video games: World of Warcraft: Legion, Batman: Rise of Sun Tzu, and Soldier Boyz. 

As reported by Deadline, Tagawa's family confirmed he died Thursday, surrounded by his children. 

Cellar Door Games, the creators of Rogue Legacy 1 and 2, have revealed a substantially different new game called Neath during today’s PC Gaming Show. It’s a dark roguelike tactical RPG coming next year.

Neath is set in a dying world that has an irradiated, inverted tower looming above it. Players lead a band of fragile warriors up the tower, which holds Taboos, a series of ever-changing edicts from a god that regularly alter the laws of reality.

Inspired by games like Into the Breach and tabletop games like Mansions of Madness, the grid-based game features what a press release calls a “fluid turn-based system where the turn order is always shifting.” In other words, Neath allows players to control the actions of allies and enemies alike.

An “engagement-locking” system grips allied units in fear when targeted by foes. It’s up to the player to disrupt enemies. The game’s press release also states that players can “Make trapped chests fizzle, barter with the gods, and reshape destiny with the power of Fate's Die. Encounter special events inspired by classic 90's dungeon-crawlers that reshapes your party during every run. But beware the consequences when playing games with providence.”

Throughout each run through the tower, players will build their party and learn new abilities, and find powerful relics. Players can discover team synergies to help turn the tide of battles. Outside of tower runs, players will rebuild the small town of Shale into a rich settlement that, in turn, will help them better prepare for future runs.

 

Neath will launch in 2026 for PC via Steam. Until then, you can read our reviews of Rogue Legacy and Rogue Legacy 2. 

Splitgate 2 had a rough launch this June. Fans were unsatisfied with the sequel’s changes, and it suffered a big PR blow from 1047 Games co-founder Ian Prolux’s controversial stage presentation during Summer Game Fest. After unlaunching Splitgate 2 and returning it to beta in July for a substantial rework, the game has reemerged with a new name: Splitgate: Arena Reloaded.

Relaunching on December 17, the free-to-play Splitgate: Arena Reloaded is described as “a revamped online arena FPS from 1047 Games that goes back to its community focused roots,” in a press release. This new version of the portal-jumping competitive shooter ditches the factions and abilities of the original Splitgate 2. It also sports a completely overhauled progression system to create an arena-style experience that hews much closer to the original Splitgate.

“Splitgate has always been a love letter to the arena shooters we grew up playing,” said 1047 Games design director Josh Watson in a press release. “We’ve been hard at work rebuilding the game from the ground up, taking the best of Splitgate 1 and Splitgate 2, removing what didn’t work, and refining what did.” 

Arena Reloaded also introduces five new maps, while six existing maps have been fully reworked. It also features three new primary weapons and a new power weapon, the Railgun. The game also boasts new Arena modes, along with Classic Arena, playlist selection, and an even-starts mode without customizable weapon loadouts. 1047 also promises a simplified battle pass, improved cosmetics, and reduced store prices.

Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Splitgate 2 had a rough launch this June. Fans were unsatisfied with the sequel’s changes, and it suffered a big PR blow from 1047 Games co-founder Ian Prolux’s controversial stage presentation during Summer Game Fest. After unlaunching Splitgate 2 and returning it to beta in July for a substantial rework, the game has reemerged with a new name: Splitgate: Arena Reloaded.

Relaunching on December 17, the free-to-play Splitgate: Arena Reloaded is described as “a revamped online arena FPS from 1047 Games that goes back to its community focused roots,” in a press release. This new version of the portal-jumping competitive shooter ditches the factions and abilities of the original Splitgate 2. It also sports a completely overhauled progression system to create an arena-style experience that hews much closer to the original Splitgate.

“Splitgate has always been a love letter to the arena shooters we grew up playing,” said 1047 Games design director Josh Watson in a press release. “We’ve been hard at work rebuilding the game from the ground up, taking the best of Splitgate 1 and Splitgate 2, removing what didn’t work, and refining what did.” 

Arena Reloaded also introduces five new maps, while six existing maps have been fully reworked. It also features three new primary weapons and a new power weapon, the Railgun. The game also boasts new Arena modes, along with Classic Arena, playlist selection, and an even-starts mode without customizable weapon loadouts. 1047 also promises a simplified battle pass, improved cosmetics, and reduced store prices.

Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.