PlaySide Studios to develop Game of Thrones strategy game with Warner Bros

Winter is coming, and a Game of Thrones-themed game by video game developer PlaySide Studios (ASX: PLY) is being developed with it. 

The Company has teamed up with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and HBO to develop a multiplayer strategy game based on the Emmy Award- and Golden Globe-winning Game of Thrones series. 

This new premium title will be available for PC. Developed by PlaySide Studios and officially licensed by Warner Bros on behalf of HBO, the game recreates the iconic characters and immersive world of Westeros in a real-time strategy (RTS) format. 

Featuring multiple game modes, fans will be able to play on their own, team up with friends or engage in multiplayer skirmishes. Players take control of prominent factions from the series—each featuring its own unique heroes and playstyles—and lead their armies to victory through strategic warfare and tactical politics. 

PlaySide Studios develops video games for multiple platforms, including PC/Console, mobile, virtual reality and mixed reality, with a portfolio of over 70 titles. The Company publishes its own games based on original intellectual property, including the award-winning RTS Age of Darkness: Final Stand. 

It also provides end-to-end game development services in collaboration with AAA game studios and major technology and entertainment companies such as Warner Bros., Activision Blizzard, Meta, Netflix Games and Take-Two Interactive. 

In December 2023, PlaySide announced the signing of a multi-game license agreement with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment agreed to provide PlaySide with a highly recognisable intellectual property, Game of Thrones, under license for the purpose of developing two PC/Console game titles. 

At the time of the announcement, PlaySide CEO, Gerry Sakkas, said, “We are huge fans of the IP we are working with and are thrilled to be entrusted with the task of bringing it to life for other fans. We are proud to be partnering with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, which has a longstanding history of supporting the extension of its franchises, such as Batman into video games and has enjoyed recent success with the likes of Hogwart’s Legacy.”

Game of Thrones has a global fanbase and a cult following that is expected to drive this game’s uptake. 

In H1 FY24, PlaySide saw a 119% uptick in its revenue compared to H1 FY23, amounting to $36.2 million. It recorded an Original IP revenue of $17.7m, up 218% from $5.6 million. It saw record Work for Hire revenue of $18.5 million and EBITDA of $12.2 million. 

For FY24, PlaySide has offered a revenue guidance of $60-65 million and an EBITDA range of $11-13 million.

As part of the agreement, PlaySide will pay Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment several license payments during the development phase of the Game of Thrones title, followed by a royalty based on revenue derived from the games during the agreement’s term. 

The agreement expires five years after the release of the second title.