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Who Owns Batman, SpongeBob, and Other Warner Bros. Game Rights?

Skydance now owns Warner Bros. Discovery, but franchise ownership is not the same as publishing or developing an individual game. Here is what official sources confirm for Batman and SpongeBob.
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As of October 7, 2026, Skydance Corporation owns Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), following the completion of its acquisition on October 6. WBD’s portfolio includes Warner Bros., DC, Nickelodeon, and the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise. That corporate ownership does not, by itself, identify who developed or published a particular game—or spell out every game license.

Who owns the franchises now?

Skydance’s October 6, 2026 acquisition-completion announcement describes the combined company as Skydance and lists Warner Bros., DC, and Nickelodeon among its brands, with SpongeBob SquarePants among its franchises. So the current corporate-level answer for these properties is Skydance, through its ownership of WBD.

That is different from saying Skydance itself publishes every game featuring those properties. A parent company can own a portfolio while a named subsidiary publishes a game and a separate studio develops it. The credits and official announcement for each title are the best evidence of those roles.

What does that mean for Batman games?

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight

In Warner Bros. Games’ May 19, 2026 announcement for LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, TT Games is named as the developer and Warner Bros. Games as the publisher. The announcement identifies DC as part of Warner Bros. Discovery and Batman and related elements as DC properties. This gives a title-specific example: the franchise is associated with DC within WBD, Warner Bros. Games publishes this game, and TT Games develops it.

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LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight - PlayStation 5
  • Main Story - Bruce Wayne’s journey from origin to legend as he trains with The League of Shadows, becomes the hero of Gotham City, and forges a new family of allies with Jim Gordon, Catwoman, Robin, Nightwing, and Batgirl. Confront an ever-growing threat from across Batman’s Rogues Gallery as you face The Joker, The Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, Bane, and more
  • 7 Playable Characters - Batman, Jim Gordon, Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, Catwoman, and Talia al Ghul each bring unique skills and signature gadgets as you uncover crimes, complete challenges, and explore an immersive Gotham City full of secrets and surprises
  • 100 Suits - Inspired by Batman’s 86-year legacy, you’ll find an array of Batsuits alongside individual outfits for every playable character
  • 20+ Vehicles - A range of Batmobiles and Batcycles to drive around Gotham City's open world in style. Including iconic rides like the legendary Tumbler
  • 250+ Batcave Props & Trophies - Customize and display a wide range of items to personalize your Batcave and celebrate your achievements

The announcement describes physical and digital editions for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, and says a Nintendo Switch 2 version would launch later in 2026. That announced timing is not confirmation of current availability; check the platform’s current store listing for release status.

Batman: Arkham Trilogy on Nintendo Switch

Warner Bros. Games’ Batman: Arkham Trilogy FAQ distinguishes the original games’ development from the Switch version: Rocksteady Studios originally developed the games, Turn Me Up Games developed the Nintendo Switch version, and Warner Bros. Games published that version. Its physical Switch edition includes Batman: Arkham Asylum on the cartridge; Arkham City and Arkham Knight require downloads.

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Batman: Arkham Trilogy
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What can be said about SpongeBob game rights?

Skydance’s completion announcement lists SpongeBob SquarePants in the combined company’s franchise portfolio and Nickelodeon among its brands. This establishes the corporate portfolio connection, but it does not identify the publisher, developer, or licensee for any particular SpongeBob game. Those roles need to be checked against that game’s own official announcement or credits.

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How to read game-rights claims

“Who owns the franchise?” and “Who has the rights to this game?” are not interchangeable questions. A useful title-by-title check separates the publicly named roles from contract terms that may not be public.

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Rank #3
Gotham Knights (PS5)
  • Play as a New Guard of DC Super Heroes – Step into the roles of Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood and Robin and shape Gotham’s newest protector to create your own version of the Dark Knight.
  • Action-Packed, Original Story Set in DC’s Batman Universe – With the Belfry as their base of operations, this new era of heroes will solve mysteries that connect the darkest chapters in Gotham’s history – from its soaring towers to its underground criminal network. Embark on rich storylines,
  • Explore and Fight Crime in an Open-World Gotham City – Patrol the dark streets of five distinct boroughs in a dynamic, interactive Gotham using a variety of traversal abilities and heroic combat moves, as well as the iconic Batcycle. From street-level crimefighting to face-offs with iconic DC Super-Villains, save the city from descent into chaos.
  • Unique Character Abilities and Customization – Each hero has unique abilities, gear, weapons and a customizable suit. Batgirl wields her melee tonfa Nightwing uses his signature dual escrima sticks; Red Hood has trained to reach peak human strength; and Robin is expertly skilled with his collapsible quarter staff.
  • Please note that although this game is Region Free or Region Unlocked and will work on all systems, this is the international version and may differ from the local version in age rating, labeling or instructions.
Question What it tells you What the cited official materials establish
Corporate parent Which company owns the relevant portfolio or business Skydance owns WBD following completion of the acquisition on October 6, 2026 (Skydance acquisition-completion announcement, October 6, 2026).
Franchise or brand home Which portfolio or brand is associated with a property The completion announcement lists DC and Nickelodeon as brands and SpongeBob SquarePants as a franchise; Warner Bros. Games identifies DC as part of WBD in its Batman announcement.
Publisher Which company publishes a particular game or version Warner Bros. Games is named publisher for LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight and the Nintendo Switch version of Batman: Arkham Trilogy (Warner Bros. Games announcements, 2026 and 2023).
Developer Which studio made a game or port TT Games developed LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight; Rocksteady Studios originally developed the Arkham Trilogy games, and Turn Me Up Games developed the Switch version (Warner Bros. Games announcements, 2026 and 2023).
License scope Which title, platforms, territories, term, or uses a contract covers Not stated in the cited Skydance and Warner Bros. Games announcements or FAQ.

The cited public materials do not disclose every existing game license, transfer clause, territory, exclusivity term, or sublicense. A parent-company acquisition and the credits for a named game do not establish those private contract details, so claims about a specific game should stay within what its official sources confirm.

Quick Recap

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Batman: Arkham Trilogy
Batman: Arkham Trilogy
Become Gotham City’s ultimate protector across the iconic Batman: Arkham Trilogy.; Some features may require an internet connection and an online subscription.
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Batman: Arkham Collection - PlayStation 4
  • Batman: Arkham Collection brings you the definitive versions of Rocksteady's Arkham Trilogy games, including all post-launch content, in one complete collection.
  • Experience two of the most critically acclaimed titles of the last generation - Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City, with fully remastered and updated visuals.
  • Complete your experience with the explosive finale to the Arkham series in Batman: Arkham Knight.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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