Warner Bros. is buying Machinima, granting the company better access to gamers and comic fans. Machinima’s online network features programming focused on classic geek franchises like Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, and the DC Universe.
Machinima has a sizable online presence, with more than 12 million subscribers on YouTube and over 220,000 on Twitch. The company has attracted investment from companies like Google. Machinima did land itself in hot water for secretly promoting games from advertising partners, which it settled with the FTC earlier this year.
The deal will eventually give all of Machinima’s content to AT&T, which has been trying desperately to deliver content to young viewers. The carrier’s bid of more than $80 billion for Time Warner, which owns Warner Bros., means that AT&T’s expanding corporate metaverse will soon get its hands on Gordon Freeman’s inner monologue.