The world demands a new single player Batman game. It’s been nine years since Arkham Knight, the last entry in Rocksteady’s storied series, and after the disastrous Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and promising yet ultimately underwhelming Gotham Knights from WB Games Montreal there’s nothing else that’ll bring fans back to arguably DC’s greatest superhero (sorry, Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, et al) than another Arkham game.
But wait, hang on, there is another Arkham game on the horizon. Arkham Shadow, coming from developer Camouflaj is releasing Autumn 2024 and from what’s been shared so far it looks like a suitable return to Gotham City’s crime-ridden alleys and gritty underbelly. It’ll feature the same hard-hitting combat established in Rocksteady’s trilogy, the return of iconic characters Harvey Dent and Jim Gordon plus notorious arch-nemeses Scarecrow and Harley Quinn, plus underutilised supervillain Ratcatcher. In lieu of dearly departed Kevin Conroy, the voice comes courtesy of superb Arkham Origins actor Roger Craig Smith. The ingredients are prepped to serve up a satisfying slice of Arkham goodness, but there is a caveat. Arkham Shadow is a VR exclusive.
Now, there’s nothing especially wrong with VR games. For Arkham Shadow, Camouflaj are determined to respect the legacy carved out by Rocksteady with a faithful representation of Batman’s unique macabre atmosphere, but – let’s be real – VR games are still a niche enterprise. Worse still, Arkham Shadow is a Meta Quest 3 exclusive, so not set to be available on other VR hardware. Of course, Oculus Studios will be banking on Arkham Shadow being a headset seller, but that means there’s huge pressure on this title; despite Meta Quest’s passionate fanbase clamouring for larger VR titles, are those outside the virtual reality sphere going to be persuaded to finally dip their toe in if they haven’t already?
Damning is Arkham Shadows’ reaction from Arkham fanatics and reporting press alike. The worst comment out there asks rhetorically ‘do WB Games even care about their fanbase?’ As good as Arkham Shadow seems, its player base is undeniably narrow. If this were a console game, fans would be in rapture. But they’re not. Nothing will satiate desires for another Batman game than another console-slash-PC Batman game. Not a VR exclusive, not an accompanying comic, or movie tie-in. A new game, and a new game only.
If the appetite across comments sections, forums, and threads is to be taken as seriously, then why isn’t another single player Arkham game incoming? After all, WB Games have spoken repeatedly on DC’s potential as a billion-dollar gaming brand. Even if there was an Arkham sequel in the works (Arkham Shadow, we haven’t mentioned yet, is a prequel set shortly after the events of Arkham Origin) then it’s unlikely to be single player. The reason for this, unfortunately, lies in WB Games’ desire to double down on live service, free-to-play, and mobile.
The rationale behind this is befuddling on two counts. One: Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was a diabolical flob, costing WB Games millions in irrecuperable losses with colossal damage to their brand and a wavering of Rocksteady’s reputation (though Rocksteady choose to work on a live service FPS themselves). Two: last year’s wizarding single player RPG Hogwarts Legacy – of which Harry Potter sits amongst Warner Bros.’ most lucrative properties – was a financial success. Indeed, a Director’s Cut is reportedly in the works with none other than Rocksteady Studios working alongside Avalanche Software to bring the title to fruition. At present there’s no indication live service elements will be shoehorned into this re-release, but Hogwarts Legacy 2 will undoubtedly – if we’re being cynical – feature some sort of free-to-play, microtransaction laden, live service element.
As reported by Bloomberg in June, Rocksteady’s leadership are pitching a new single player game to WB but we’re not privy to what this game is. It could be a return to Arkham, but we’re really not sure. Elsewhere, Rocksteady co-founders Sefton Hill and Jamie Walker quietly opened a new studio at the start of 2024. This studio, Hundred Star Games, poached numerous developers from Rocksteady and is reportedly working on a AAA single player action-adventure game, financed via partnership from Microsoft. This game is unlikely to be Batman related given Hill and Walker’s exit from Rocksteady, and it’s probably better for everyone if it isn’t given that it’ll be an Xbox exclusive (because, as we’ve discussed with Arkham Shadow’s VR exclusivity, a new Batman game available to a cross-section only is far from optimal for the whole of Arkham’s fandom).
The only positive throughout this incoherent mess is that a new Arkham game will happen. That is, according to DC boss James Gunn who when grilled on Threads regarding the future of the franchise and, more specifically, if Kill the Justice League will be the closing instalment in the Arkham universe his response was that no, there’re no plans for it to be the last. What’s more, in keeping with another of Warner Bros. statements, Gunn also confirmed any future DC game wouldn’t be linked to or based on any contemporary movies. These responses have since been deleted from Threads which reduces their significance or boosts their likelihood depending on how you look at it. Coming from the horse’s mouth, so to speak, it seems plausible Gunn has the inside track on something, somewhere.
Apologies, but there’s a lot of nebulous speculation in this feature. It’s all a bit ‘he said, she said’, but in a world where justice prevails (you know, the type of world Bruce Wayne fights to maintain) then another single player Batman game will come. An opinion though: assuming it won’t be some live service monstrosity it could well be a reboot, not a continuation of Arkham’s narrative. Whilst Warner Bros. are clear their games won’t be following their movie counterparts and despite James Gunn’s posts, Matt Reeves and Peter Craig’s The Batman was a reboot and a largely well received one at that. There’s endless scope for stories in Batman’s universe with a whole gaggle of supervillains to duel. If we’re to get a new Batman game, a reboot could be the way forward.
The Arkham games are some of the most memorable action games ever created, whether you’re a fan of Batman or not. Their atmosphere, their fluid, kinetic, intuitive combat, the sensational voice acting, and – above all else – their respect to the legendary characters inhabiting Gotham elevates them above a ton of games, not just superhero titles. Rocksteady was instrumental in creating these games, in getting the ingredients right, in understanding what makes Gotham tick, what makes Batman so perennially popular in mainstream culture. With a live service, free-to-play future that Warner Bros. are banking on, the possibility of a single player Batman game like the ones we’ve grown to love is unlikely. It seems that, for the time being, VR exclusive Arkham Shadow is our best chance of enjoying another single player Batman game – the travesty.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
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