If there’s one thing that gamers are used to at this point in time, it’s the concept of video game developers doing great work at one point in time and then doing something bad right after. We’ve seen things like this happen with companies like Bethesda, Square Enix, EA, Activision Blizzard, Bioware, and so many more. It’s sad because when you KNOW they can do great stuff, and then they do something bad in an attempt to “follow a trend” or “make quick cash,” you wonder what happened to them. Sadly, Rocksteady Studios was another that fell into that group in 2024.
The tragedy with them is that this took many by surprise when it was clear they were going the live-service route. They became famous by making the three titles that put Batman into the most dangerous times of his life, during his time in Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, and then dealing with Scarecrow and the Arkham Knight. All three games sold well, and the first two were Game of the Year contenders, cementing the team as one that could produce great narrative-style titles.
However, with the arrival of Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, they were told by Warner Bros Discovery to try and embrace the “live-service market” and shift away from the narrative style the team had done in the past. The game bombed so hard that they were said to have cost WB at least $200 million. However, one insider claims that Rocksteady Studios is going back to Batman:
It should be noted that Nick is stated to have a “50/50” record, so you should take this with a grain of salt for now. However, it’s unsurprising that Warner Bros Discovery might allow this, as they are struggling in certain markets and want to get the “big-money hits” that they’ve had in the past.
The question is whether Rocksteady can pull this off again. That might sound like an obvious “yes,” but it’s not so clear-cut. First of all, the studio’s founders, who helped make the first three games in the trilogy, aren’t there anymore. They formed their own studio.
Second, while Rocksteady did make a trilogy with Batman, they took certain “paths” with the third game that led to it not being as well-received as before, including not bringing back established Batman writer Paul Dini to help look over the plot. The gameplay also suffered heavily despite having a literal blueprint of what to do. Not to mention, the late Kevin Conroy won’t be there to voice Batman should they do it.
So, while it’s cool that Rocksteady might be returning to Batman, it’s not guaranteed that this is a good thing.
