Unfortunately, it seems that will be the only Warner Bros. title present at E3 2021. The Summer Game Fest Twitter clarified that, “The Warner. Bros Games presentation is Back 4 Blood, there is not a separate event.” So if you’ve been hoping for any new details, then you’ll have to keep hoping (especially since many of Warner Bros. Games’ releases have been delayed to 2022).

Hogwarts Legacy, Gotham Knights, and Suicide Squad (along with whatever NetherRealm is working on) aren’t the only titles that won’t be seen in the coming week. Ubisoft recently confirmed that the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake also wouldn’t make an appearance. Stay tuned for more information in the meantime as E3 2021 begins on June 12 and ends on June 15th.

The Warner. Bros Games presentation is Back 4 Blood, there is not a separate event.

— Summer Game Fest (@summergamefest) June 4, 2021

At the very least, it seems that Rocksteady certainly believes that. The last decade has seen them release three Batman focused games (four, if you count Batman Arkham VR). And there’s certainly nothing wrong with that, as those are all excellent games. But with their next game being a Suicide Squad game, that, so far, does not seem to involve Batman, and WB Games Montreal, the team behind Arkham Origins working on Gotham Knights, a game that is not set in the Arkham timeline but possibly involves Batman, you wouldn’t be blamed for wondering when exactly the next true Batman game will come out.

With no real substantial amount of time passing over the last couple of decades without a game featuring Batman, I wouldn’t put a lot of money on that trend going away. While it is true that the two developers most known for the modern Batman games are working on different games, those two games are relatively close to being released. Montreal’s game is aiming to be released this year, while Rocksteady’s is aiming for next year. While Rocksteady’s is aiming for next year. So assuming that they are going to go back to Batman at some point in some form, we could only be a year or two away from Principal development on a new Batman game beginning from either of these developers. That of course would still mean the fruits of their labor would be several years off, as game development is anything but a fast process, but I think, worst case scenario, that would be what we would be looking at. Batman is just too popular and too profitable to be left alone for more than a few years. If nobody gets to the Dark Knight before either of these two studios has a chance to then they will certainly be more than able to pick up the mantle and do something with it.

But I find that to be less likely, considering the trajectory of those two studios and the fact that no developer wants to make the same game for more than 10 years or so. It definitely happens, but with the amount of studios that Warner Bros Interactive has under their umbrella, I think it would be a waste of their talent to force them to make the same Gotham-centric games over and over again until the end of time. One studio that is likely to be making a game with Batman in it very soon if they aren’t already is NetherRealm studios. Taking a brief glance at their development history since being acquired, you’ll see that they’ve largely gone back and forth from releasing Mortal Kombat and Injustice games every two years.

Given that both of those franchises are extremely popular and extremely good, it shouldn’t be much of a shock to anyone that an Injustice 3 is probably in development right now and likely on the way for this year or at the latest, early 2022. Granted that won’t necessarily be a Batman game, but if the campaign of it is anything like the previous two Injustice games it will heavily focus on Batman and other DC characters. So while that’s not exactly the same as getting another Arkham-type game, it should be enough to whet your appetite while also satisfying it in a small way until whatever the next major Batman game is gets finished up. This is something I would bet money on I think it’s almost certainly going to happen, so if you find yourself missing Batman right now you have, at the very least, his appearance in an Injustice 3 to look forward to for at least the relatively near future.

But the truth remains that Warner Bros interactive would be crazy to not have another Batman game in development at this time. Whether it’s in full-on development or pre-production or some other conceptual phase is totally debatable, but surely something is cooking somewhere among there other studios. Let’s not forget, Warner Bros Interactive also has Avalanche Software, Monolith Productions, and WB Games Boston. All of which are immensely talented and capable studios that, if given the proper amount of time and resources, could more than handle the Batman IP with the grace and dedication that it deserves with a fully-fledged new game for the franchise. They are decidedly smaller studios but given that the next Batman game would need an entirely new direction anyway, so perhaps something of a similar nature on a smaller scale would be appropriate for the series at this point.

This frees up the franchise to potentially be in the hands of a smaller studio in a smaller game with perhaps a simpler art style less focused on realism. Perhaps something from the old school days that resembles the original TV show or even the Tim Burton movies. Kind of like how the Transformers: War for Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron games sort of wrapped up and then we saw PlatinumGames come out with an entirely different, but still equally awesome Transformers game with Devastation, thematically focused on the original cartoon show and far simpler in scope, but all the more refreshing and outstanding for it.

Whatever happens with Batman, it’s going to need to be something different then what we saw come out of the Arkham series. Obviously, a direct continuation of Arkham Knight isn’t going to happen, and Arkham Asylum isn’t quite old enough yet to justify any sort of major remake, so the justification to continue with that style and look is pretty thin. And with that, Rocksteady and WB Games Montreal seem to be aiming to stretch their legs with different things I’ll be at staying in the DC universe, so I think it would make the most sense to hand Batman off to another developer entirely, probably avalanche if I had to make an educated guess, and let them take the character into an entirely different direction that fits into the best possible balance of their development style and what they think gamers of today want to play. The Arkham series is done and it was pretty much perfected. To continue to try to chase that dragon would only lead to comparisons which would only lead to people pointing out why it’s not as good as those games. The smartest idea is to let those games be what they are and move on in an entirely new direction. Whether or not they will actually take that path is up to them, but I think the case for doing so pretty much argues itself.

So out of the blue today, Rocksteady decided to confirmed they are, in fact, working on a game based on Suicide Squad that will be unveiled at DC Fandome later in the month. It’s long been rumored this was the case, but the developer decided to remove all doubts it seems. Rocksteady has been radio silent ever since the release of Arkham VR in 2016. We don’t know a lot about this game right now, but we do have some new potential information about when it started development, and when we can, and cannot, expect to see it on shelves.

Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier took to his official Twitter to talk about the surprise announcement. There he talked about the Suicide Squad game from WB Montreal that was canceled (you can read about this through here), and that Rocksteady’s take came into being roughly somewhere in the late 2016 or early 2017 range. Despite that, Schreier does say not to expect much more than a tease at Fandome, saying the game is still a ways off. As always, take these types of reports as rumor, but Schreier is one of the more reliable sources.

We’re not even sure what the game will be called at this point, though a recent website registration points to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, which matches with the recent tease. DC Fandome will be on August 22nd, so we will, hopefully, get a better picture then.

Some added context for today's announcement: WB Montreal was working on a Suicide Squad game until it was canceled in late 2016. At some point (end of 2016? 2017?), Rocksteady started theirs. The game will be teased at DC Fandome, but I wouldn't expect it for a while

— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) August 7, 2020

It’s possible that an announcement for a Suicide Squad game is imminent. Domain names for suicidesquadgame.com and suicidesquadkillthejusticeleague.com have been registered by MarkMonitor Inc. That’s significant because that’s the domain broker that WB Interactive Entertainment have used for the registration for various other domains in the past.

A game based on the Suicide Squad property has been has been in the rumour mill for years. Leaks a few years back talked about a Suicide Squad game that was cancelled by Batman: Arkham Origins devs WB Games Montreal after some time in development (before they presumably moved on to their long-rumoured new Batman title, which they have been teasing relentlessly).

Most recently, another report stated that a live service Suicide Squad game is being developed by Rocksteady. It’s quite likely that if that is the game Rocksteady are working on, it will be revealed soon. Rocksteady’s next game was reportedly going to be one among many WB Games were going to announce at E3 2020 before the show got cancelled, so the timing might be right.

DC recently announced a new event, DC FanDome, for August, where WB Games will be making new announcements. Might Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad be announced there? It’s likely- at least I hope it is.

So, whatever happened to the studio of tomorrow, Rocksteady? The developer went from making three of the most successful and acclaimed superhero titles of all time, to seemingly vanishing. We’ve yet to hear anything about them in almost five full years now outside the very vague rumor they were working on a ‘superhero creation’ game of some kind. But it seems that may be changing, if a new rumor is to be believed.

Imran Khan of Kinda Funny recently talked about the company’s next game, and said that he had heard the studio’s next title would be a live service game based on Suicide Squad. He didn’t have any details to offer, and was clear that this was something he heard a few years ago, so couldn’t say for sure if that had changed or not, but had not heard anything different since.

It’s interesting, because we know that a Suicide Squad game was in development at WB Games Montreal at one point, but was canceled. It could be that Rocksteady took over that project, or at least the IP in wake of said cancellation. There is also another Suicide Squad film planned, and the first film, despite being critically panned, was a massive box office success, so it isn’t too far-fetched in the end. And, just for 100% clarity, this is based on something Khan heard a while back, as he says, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility this has changed, especially since it’s obvious a lot has changed with the DC-related games.

WB Games is planning to be at a DC-based event August 22nd called FanDome where films and games based on DC properties will be shown. Odds are as good as any that the game could be finally revealed there, so we’ll wait and see.

That WB Games Montreal – the developers of Batman: Arkham Origins – are working on a new Batman game is probably the industry’s worst kept secret. Something else that was never officially known but has been leaked multiple times is that before that, they were working on other projects that eventually got canned, including a Superman game and another project based on the Suicide Squad property. Now, new concept art has emerged showing brief glimpses a both those projects.

Via @tatlinsky on Twitter, concept art from the portfolio of artist Joël Dos Reis Viegas – who is currently working at Ubisoft, but was at one point with WB Games Montreal – has emerged from both the projects. The Superman concept art shows a view of the Metropolis skyline at night, while the Suicide Squad art focuses on characters, with one of the two in particular focusing on Harley Quinn. Take a look below.

There’s no knowing whether any of these two games will see the light of day in some form of another. Rocksteady have confirmed that whatever they are working on is not a Superman game, while nothing concrete has been heard about a Suicide Squad title in a while now.

That said, Rocksteady’s new game, WB Games Montreal’s Batman game, and the previously leaked Harry Potter title were all reportedly due for reveals at E3 this year, before the show got cancelled. It’s likely that we’ll hear about those sooner rather than later.

What is next for Rocksteady and Warner Bros Montreal after the completion of the Arkham series? This is a question we’ve been asking for some time now, and it looks like it will be a question we keep asking for more time to come. While previously it seemed like Arkham Origins developers Warner Bros Montreal would be developing a new Batman game with Damian Wayne as the protagonist, reports earlier in the year suggested that that project has been completely rebooted, and we know we very little of what form or shape it has taken since then. And it now looks like the studio is working on a completely different kind of game, which is going to be a multiplayer-centric game similar in nature to Destiny and Borderlands. 

A forum post on NeoGAF has done an excellent job of consolidating a number of leaks, reports, statements and job listings that all seem to collectively be pointing at this possibility, while also giving background on how the project over at Warner Montreal has been developing over the years.

There have been multiple job listings and leaks related to both, Rocksteady and Warner Bros Montreal that seem to suggest that the studios are currently working on a game that is going to be centered mostly on online functionalities. Job postings at Rocksteady have mentioned openings surrounding things like online programming and metagame design, sings which point to a service based game. Additionally, Warner Bros have also recently opened a new office in New York, the purpose of which will be to maintain backend servers for online-focused games like the recently released Injustice 2 and future, unspecified games.

Additionally, job listings at Warner Montreal have spoken of their new game, which is being described as “an open-world AAA title based on one of DC Universe’s most popular IPs”. What’s notable, though, is the fact that it will run on Unreal Engine 4, which means that Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment titles are making the jump from UE3 to UE4. This is also notable because Rocksteady have also been working mostly with UE4 recently, since their upcoming game will be their first game with the engine as well, which means that the general foundation of assets and other fundamental things for both the studious will once again be the same.

The way I see it, this is pointing to two possibilities- either the two studios are working together in collaboration on a giant online-focused game to rival the likes of Destiny, or both these studios are working separately on two different titles. There is, of course, also the possibility that Warner Montreal is indeed working on a traditional single player open world title, while Rocksteady works on the service based game. It’s all up in the air right now, but we will keep bringing you updates as and when they come our way, so stay tuned to GamingBolt.

Many moons ago, there was a rumour that Warner Bros. Montreal, developer of Batman: Arkham Origins, was working on some new Batman games. One was apparently meant to be Suicide Squad (which disappeared in a hurry after the film was a mess) and the second was apparently focused on Damian Wayne, Batman’s biological son.

Whatever the status may be of the Damian Wayne game, it’s not even certain if it’s still the same title. According to Kotaku’s Jason Schreier on Twitter, “I wouldn’t get your hopes up too much for that one yet. Last I heard it was rebooted.”

When asked if Damian Wayne was gone, Schreier said that he didn’t know.

It’s possible that Warner Bros. Montreal has gone back to the drawing board or working on something else entirely. As always, take these rumours with a grain of salt and stay tuned for official announcements as E3 2017 draws near.

It looks like Warner Montreal will not be releasing their unannounced Suicide Squad game, which we have been hearing about for so long, after all. Instead, it sounds like they have shifted all of their focus on the unannounced Batman game that was first reported on a little while back.

Kotaku reports that unnamed sources are confirming that Suicide Squad had been in development for at least two years, but that the game – which was planned on being a co-op game – failed to impress Warner Bros. executives, who axed the project. That, plus the general turbulence at the studio over the last year, involving multiple high profile departures, means that the studio is currently in no state to show off their next project.

That project will now be a new Batman game, focusing on Damien Wayne. Warner Montreal have already created Batman: Arkham Origins before, and they also worked on some DLC for last year’s Batman: Arkham Knight, so they should be well suited for the task. Hopefully, we get to see the game some time soon.

According to French website AddictedToSeries, a new Batman game is in development and it will star Batman’s son Damian Wayne. Furthermore, a Suicide Squad game is also rumored to be in development at Warner Bros. Montreal, the same studio that developed the underrated Batman Arkham Origins.

If this rumor is to be believed, then the next Batman game will be a big departure from the previous entries. The website reports that the new game will have a full day-night cycle and will feature Batcycle. Furthermore, players will be able to upgrade their Batcave and Gotham City will feel more alive compared to the previous iterations.

It will be interesting to see which studio is behind the development of the new Batman game. Is it Rocksteady? There is no way to tell that yet. As usual, this information should be taken with a grain of salt but given that a Suicide Squad movie is coming out this August, I won’t be surprised if this indeed turns out to be true.