Light & Wonder and Warner Bros Discovery Global Themed Entertainment have expanded a multi-year global licensing partnership to bring land-based game titles to the online space.
Through the extension, Light & Wonder’s in-house game development teams will use brands from the Warner Bros Discovery portfolio to enhance its offering across all verticals in regulated markets globally.
The first title to be released as part of the expanded licensing agreement will be Willy Wonka: World of Wonka.
The game features characters and moments from the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and has long been a popular brand on physical slot machines.
Its online version will be integrated into Light & Wonder’s content aggregation platform, with a series of additional Wonka-themed games to follow.
Light & Wonder CEO of iGaming Dylan Slaney commented: “The Warner Bros Discovery brand portfolio is legendary, and our partnership has led to the creation of some of the world’s most popular casino content, including Willy Wonka: World of Wonka.
“To bring this title online for the first time is incredibly exciting and we can’t wait to deliver for our operator partners and their players.
“This is a huge step forward in terms of presenting our omni-channel vision to the world, as we continue to develop the most entertaining branded content available anywhere on the market,” he added.
More titles to come
The next title to be integrated into the Light & Wonder content platform will be The Wizard of Oz: Road to Emerald City, with additional branded games from the Warner Bros Discovery portfolio to come.
Similar to Willy Wonka: World of Wonka, additional Wizard of Oz titles are planned for release in 2024 and beyond.
The partnership with Warner Bros Discovery is another step in Light & Wonder’s omni-channel content strategy as the company boosts its position in the casino content creator market.
iGaming growth
In Q1 2023, Light & Wonder generated revenue of $670m, an increase of 17.1% annually.
Its land-based gaming segment brought in $419m of the total, up 18%, as the business saw continued strength in sales of gaming machines as well as strong performance in gaming operations and systems.
Social gaming-focused SciPlay generated a further $186m, up 17.7%, while the company’s iGaming segment reported 10.2% growth to $65m.