Variety: Warner Bros. Games Chief David Haddad to Exit

Story from Variety:

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment president David Haddad is exiting his role after 12 years leading the Warner Bros. Games division.

Haddad will stay on with the David Zaslav-led company for the next three months as Warner Bros. Discovery looks for his replacement and to help oversee the transition to his successor.

“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,” Warner Bros. Discovery Global Streaming and Games CEO and president JB Perrette said.

A town hall meeting led by Perrette and Haddad is scheduled for later Thursday to provide additional details to the Warner Bros. Games team. A source close to the situation tells Variety there are no plans for Warner Bros. Discovery to sell off the games division, and the goal is to focus on filling Haddad’s slot for the existing business.

Haddad’s exit comes on the heels of a bumpy few quarters for Warner Bros. Discovery’s gaming results, with lackluster performance from 2024’s “Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League” in comparison to the massive success of 2023’s “Harry Potter” game “Hogwarts Legacy.” Zaslav and CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels have both noted the plan is to increasingly shift focus from AAA games that take years to make and ship to always-on live-services titles and mobile offerings, like “Game of Thrones Conquest.” The company is also intent on prioritizing titles from its top IP, including “Harry Potter,” “Game of Thrones,” the DC Universe and “Mortal Kombat.”

“I am so proud of everything we’ve accomplished together at Warner Bros. Games during my time with the company,” Haddad said. “It has been an absolute pleasure working on and building our iconic gaming franchises, and I will continue to be an enthusiastic supporter of this talented team’s future endeavors. I look forward to working on the next chapter of my career and will always be grateful for my time with Warner Bros. Games.“