“Hogwarts Legacy” maker Warner Bros. Games has set a new leadership team for its development, production and tech operations and restructured into divisions based on its four key franchises: Harry Potter, “Game of Thrones,” “Mortal Kombat” and the DC Universe.
Per WBD, three current studio heads have been promoted to the role of senior vice president as part of the Warner Bros. Games restructure: Warner Bros Games Montréal studio head Yves Lachance has been promoted to senior vice president, development, overseeing the development teams working on Harry Potter and “Game of Thrones” games; NetherRealm studio head Shaun Himmerick has been promoted to senior vice president, development, overseeing the “Mortal Kombat” and DC games; and Warner Bros. Games New York studio chief Steven Flenory has been promoted to senior vice president, central tech & services, overseeing game and publishing technology, customer service, quality assurance and user research.
Under the new WB Games development, production and tech leadership structure, Lachance, Himmerick and Flenory will all report directly to J.B. Perrette, Warner Bros Discovery’s CEO of global streaming and games. All teams across development, production and tech will report to Lachance and Himmerick “aligned to the franchises for which they are creating games.” The gaming publishing division’s leadership will continue to be overseen by Perrette.
Variety has confirmed this restructuring did not include any layoffs or the exit of any executives.
The change comes on the heels of the January exit of former Warner Bros. Games chief David Haddad. It is currently unclear whether this new structure is in lieu of a permanent replacement for Haddad, or if the company is still actively seeking an overall leader.
Warner Bros. Games parent Warner Bros. Discovery on June 9 said it would split into two companies: WBD Streaming & Studios, to be led by CEO David Zaslav, and WBD Global Networks, which will be headed by CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels. That split would put the games division under the streaming and studios company. This separation is expected to be completed by mid-2026.
The shift to a franchise focus was already underway at the larger WBD, with recent reorgs at the TV and film studios.
“Our company is home to some of the biggest franchises in the world, and we are optimizing our team structure to develop long-term franchise roadmaps to delight players and fans of Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Mortal Kombat and DC games,” Perrette said Tuesday. “We are very fortunate to have a strong stable of development and technology talent, and Yves, Shaun and Steven are respected leaders with excellent track records in their areas of expertise. I’m looking forward to working closely with them and the team as we work to make the best games possible for our key franchises.”
