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.
