After spending over a decade overseeing the studio’s ever-worsening library of releases, Warner Bros. Games President David Haddad has announced that his time at the head of the studio is officially over.
Having first stepped into the role in October 2015 after previously serving as the head of Activision Blizzard’s Guitar Hero division, Haddad confirmed his exit from WB Games on January 25th, publicly breaking the news via a statement issued to various media outlets.
“I am so proud of everything we’ve accomplished together at Warner Bros. Games during my time with the company,” read Haddad’s exiting words, as shared by Variety‘s Jennifer Maas. “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.”
Meanwhile, Haddad’s exit was internally confirmed by Warner Bros. Discovery Global Streaming and Games CEO and President JB Perrette, who in an email sent to a number of other staff members not only broke the news, but also heaped praise and gratitude on his colleague for his past work.
“His vision, talent and passion have helped build one of the most successful and admired gaming companies in the industry and navigated some of the biggest changes and challenges as well,” Perrette beamed. “From transitioning a physical software company into a digital-first gaming operation to organically building a successful free-to-play mobile business to developing and publishing multiple billion-dollar games and franchises – including Hogwarts Legacy, Game of Thrones Conquest, and Golf Clash – to delighting more Mortal Kombat fans than any time in the franchise’s 30+ year history, the journey has been nothing short of extraordinary.”
Perrette also confirmed that Haddad will be staying on “through the next three months” in order to “help ensure a smooth transition” between himself and his yet-to-be-decided successor.
While these last few years of Haddad’s tenure have seen him oversee an embarrassing string of ‘misses’, such as the divisive Back 4 Blood, the widely-panned Gotham Knights, and the infamous Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, the outgoing WB Games President can still count far more victories under his watch than otherwise.
To give credit where credit where due, Haddad was also in charge of the internal WB division during the launches of such fan-favorite titles as Dying Light, Mortal Kombat X, Batman: Arkham Knight, Mad Max (2015), Lego Dimensions, Lego City Undercover, Injustice 2, Middle-earth: Shadow of War, Hitman 2, Mortal Kombat 11, and Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.
Further, his leadership also delivered what has undoubtedly been Warner Bros. Games’ biggest success in recent years, the aforementioned Hogwarts Legacy, which performed 256% above expectations, and grossed over $1 billion by mid-2023.
Nonetheless, such a long career is sure to see some failures, and you’re only as good as your last hit – and in a fact that will sure to haunt him, for Haddad, his last two major releases were anything but.
Hated even before launch due to its decision to throw away the single-player identity of the Arkham series in order to chase the live-service dream, not even multiple delays could stop Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League from releasing as one of the most ‘un-fun’ experiences in recent memories, with its multiple bad reviews calling out its repetitive gameplay loop, unsatisfying mechanics, and predatory micotransactions.
Perhaps most notorious for its reputation as the poster-child for DEI consultancy firm Sweet Baby Inc., the game ultimately gained notoriety as one of the worst bombs in video game history, ultimately causing Warner Bros. Discovery to suffer a $200 million loss, a 41% loss in video game division revenue, and an ongoing cascade of layoffs across developer Rocksteady Studios and various supports studios.
Ultimately, the plug would be pulled on Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League after less than a year of life – but not before delivering a ‘final ending‘ that was not only unsatisfying, but felt hastily-thrown together in order to ‘apologize’ for its mistreatment of the Justice League.
Meanwhile, albeit to a lesser degree, there was the poorly-handled MultiVersus.
Its gameplay uncomfortable and in-game economy featuring some of the worst exchange rates in video game history, the Super Smash Bros. clone spearheaded a separate WB financial loss of more than $100 million.
Thanks to these results, despite having just been revived for a second time, WB Games announced last month that the game would ultimately be shutting down at the end of its upcoming fifth season on May 30th.
As of writing, Warner Bros. Discovery has yet to name Haddad’s official successor.
Further, it is unknown just where, if anywhere, Haddad is next aiming to set-up shop.