Rocksteady’s Rumored Batman Game Feels Like A Missed Opportunity And Could Learn From Its Competition

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The rumors currently circulating around a new entry in the Batman: Arkham series by Rocksteady Studios shouldn’t exactly come as a surprise to players. The rumors come during a difficult time for the studio, which suffered a major loss with the release of Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League in 2024. With that in mind, the new Batman: Arkham game will not only serve as another entry in a beloved series, but as a chance at redemption for a highly respected development studio.

However, as exciting as a new entry in the Batman: Arkham series would be, it could have an adverse effect on Rocksteady’s reputation. Not only would another Batman: Arkham game continue an unfortunate trend seen across the DC games slate, but it could fail to provide Rocksteady with the opportunity it needs to evolve. With that in mind, Rocksteady should take a different approach with its games set in the DC universe, and it could achieve this by taking some pointers from one of the studio’s major competitors.

Few DC Games Focus On Other Superheroes

Batman Tends To Be The Sole Focus Of Many Major DC Games

Many games based off the DC universe tend to focus on the Batman mythos. This is especially the case with many of the larger DC game releases over the last decade, which includes the likes of Gotham Knights and Batman: The Telltale Series. As a result, this focus on Batman over the past few years has resulted in many iconic heroes, such as Superman, Green Lantern, and Cyborg, without their own titles during this time.

Rocksteady has certainly been a part of that trend, and it’s not hard to see why. The studio’s Batman: Arkham games are not only hugely popular among a wide array of players, but they set a much greater precedent for superhero titles moving forward. However, Rocksteady seemed ready to move beyond its previous ventures with the release of Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, an ambitious co-op title with the potential to expand the focus of DC games in the future.

Unfortunately, Suicide Squad failed to live up to expectations, largely due to its repetitive gameplay and live-service elements. With this in mind, Rocksteady’s reported decision to move back to single-player titles with Batman: Arkham looks to be a case of the studio attempting to get back on track. However, in doing so, it has further presented Suicide Squad as a failed experiment in the expansion of DC games, potentially making it more difficult for other superheroes of the same comic universe to get their own titles as a result.

More DC Superheroes Deserve Their Own Titles

Each Hero Provides Unique Gameplay Opportunities

What makes Rocksteady’s sudden move away from other DC characters so disappointing is the amount of potential that has yet to be utilized. Much like Batman and his variety of gadgets and vehicles, each DC superhero has their own unique powers and abilities that open the door for brand-new gameplay opportunities. Whether it’s Superman’s aerial traversal and x-ray vision, or it’s The Flash’s super speed, each DC superhero has something to offer that would make their own signature game feel original from a gameplay perspective.

Moreover, each DC superhero has their own helping of iconic settings that can be well-utilized in their own video game. From the planet Krypton, to Central City, to Atlantis, there’s a wealth of locations that could help to keep exploration fresh and exciting. Each superhero has enough unique settings, narratives and abilities that not only give the tools for Rocksteady to create more ambitious and creative titles, but to add a sense of variety and originality to the DC games slate as a whole.

However, there now seems to be a reluctance from Rocksteady to stretch beyond what it’s done in the past, with the underwhelming reception of Suicide Squad pushing the studio to revert to its roots. While it’s certainly understandable, this step backwards could also put the studio at greater risk of feeling redundant. A potential new Batman: Arkham game could offer an experience that’s far too familiar to what players have been given in the past, while failing to take advantage of the potential of other DC characters to provide more original titles.

How Rocksteady Can Learn From Its Competition

Insomniac’s More Ambitious Approach Is Exactly What Rocksteady Needs

It’s clear that Rocksteady could benefit with a new approach to its DC projects. One way in which the studio could achieve this is by taking notes from a competing developer, Insomniac Games. Having been responsible for the critically acclaimed and hugely successful Marvel’s Spider-Man trilogy of games for PlayStation, Insomniac is currently working on a new single-player game based on one of Marvel’s most popular superheroes, Wolverine. While information on the game is scarce, there’s no doubt that Marvel’s Wolverine will be far different to what the Spider-Man games offer.

Insomniac’s shift in focus from Spider-Man to Wolverine shows how the studio simply isn’t content with sticking to what is familiar. There’s a clear desire from the studio to push beyond the confines of what it’s done previously in order to continuously deliver original and imaginative experiences, even with the risks involved. Marvel’s Wolverine is indicative of Insomniac’s sense of ambition, which makes this upcoming title so exciting even with its lack of updates, and is exactly the kind of approach that would allow Rocksteady to create its own creative games within the DC universe.

Of course, only time will tell whether the rumored Batman: Arkham game from Rocksteady does indeed turn out to be true. Regardless, it’s clear that the studio is in need of a new approach in order to demonstrate a level of creativity and ambition that has been demonstrated in the past. Otherwise, a new entry in the Batman: Arkham series would feel less like an evolution and more of a wasted opportunity.

Source: Bloomberg

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