The new leadership model aligns game studios with Warner Bros.’s top brands, including Harry Potter and DC

Warner Bros. Games has restructured its development and production arms into four core divisions centred around its blockbuster franchises: Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Mortal Kombat, and the DC Universe. The reorganisation aims to streamline operations and double down on titles that continue to dominate both gaming and entertainment.

Under the new model announced Tuesday, the company has elevated three current studio heads to senior vice president roles. Warner Bros. Games Montréal’s Yves Lachance will now oversee the development of Harry Potter and Game of Thrones games. NetherRealm’s Shaun Himmerick takes charge of Mortal Kombat and DC titles. Meanwhile, Steven Flenory, formerly leading the New York studio, becomes SVP of central tech & services, tasked with supervising game tech, customer support, QA, and user research.

All three executives will report directly to J.B. Perrette, Warner Bros. Discovery’s CEO of global streaming and games. As part of the reshuffle, all development, production, and tech teams will be aligned under either Lachance or Himmerick, based on the franchise they support.

Crucially, Variety confirmed that the restructuring does not involve layoffs or executive departures — a rare move in an industry where reshuffles often come with job losses. The shift also follows the January departure of Warner Bros. Games president David Haddad, who led the division through key releases including Hogwarts Legacy. It remains unclear whether this new structure replaces the need for a new division chief or if the company is still searching for Haddad’s successor.

“This is a forward-looking move focused on long-term growth, not a downsizing,” said one source close to the decision.

Perrette offered public praise for the new leadership team:

“Our company is home to some of the biggest franchises in the world, and we are optimising 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. We are very fortunate to have a strong stable of development and technology talent.”

The changes follow a larger corporate shift at Warner Bros. Discovery, which announced on June 9 it would split into two companies by mid-2026. The games division will sit within WBD Streaming & Studios, overseen by CEO David Zaslav. The second entity, WBD Global Networks, will be headed by CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels. The reorganisation mirrors similar franchise-centric strategies being implemented across the film and television arms of the company.

In effect, WB Games is betting that centralising talent around franchises — rather than separate studios or genres — will enable stronger creative consistency, quicker turnaround on sequels and expansions, and more efficient cross-media coordination. It also gives development leaders clear ownership over specific IPs as Warner looks to stretch its most valuable brands across platforms.

Lachance and Himmerick both bring years of experience leading successful franchises. Flenory, meanwhile, will help bolster the tech and infrastructure backbone required to support increasingly complex global game launches.

While no new game titles were announced alongside the restructure, industry insiders suggest the move signals Warner’s readiness to scale up its flagship franchises with deeper integration into its film, TV, and streaming content.

As of now, Warner Bros. Games continues to publish and support recent hits like Hogwarts Legacy and Mortal Kombat 1, with expectations high for forthcoming DC and Game of Thrones titles now being developed under the new leadership.