Rocksteady Is Reportedly Working On A Single-Player Batman Game Again
Rocksteady is reportedly returning to its roots with a single-player Batman game, though it will likely be years before we learn more about the project.
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In a report by Bloomberg, Rocksteady, the developer behind the Batman: Arkham series, is returning to a single-player Batman game. This update from Warner Bros. video game division comes after a difficult year for Rocksteady, and Warner Bros. in general. Rocksteady spent six years developing the live-service title Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League before the game flopped in early 2024. The final update for Suicide Squad launched last month, ending support shortly under a year after launch.
Rocksteady is reportedly returning to its successful origins and working on a single-player Batman game
Rocksteady made a name for itself creating a trilogy of single-player Batman games, starting with Batman: Arkham Asylum in 2009. This trilogy of games is widely loved by fans and generally loved by critics as well. Around 2017, Warner Bros. and Rocksteady decided to chase the live-service trend. A successful live-service game can mean endless revenue if done well, so it makes sense that executives would want to try. But the studio known for making single-player action-adventure games, perhaps unsurprisingly, made an underwhelming attempt with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, which has reportedly cost Warner Bros. $200 million.
But hopefully the worst news is now in the past. Rocksteady has faced layoffs as recently as last month, but at least they are back to doing what they are known for. Warner Bros. has warned that this supposed Batman game is still years away from launch though, so don’t get your hopes up about news any time soon.
Late last year, Batman: Arkham Shadow launched for VR. It received a warm reception from critics and even went on to win the Game Award for Best VR Game. Shadow takes place two years after Batman: Arkham Origins from 2013, another Arkham game not developed by Rocksteady. Shadows was developed by Camouflaj (Marvel’s Iron Man VR), and Origins was developed by WB Games Montreal (Gotham Knights).
Also worth noting is the fact that over the years, we are not sure how much of the original Rocksteady staff is left. Co-founders Jamie Walker and Sefton Hill left Rocksteady in 2022 to found their own studio, and reportedly recruited other Rocksteady employees to join them. Combine this with recent layoffs, and the fact that the most recent successful Arkham game was not made by Rocksteady, and it raises the question of whether Rocksteady is ready to do this again.
With so little information on this new project, it will likely be years before we learn more about what this next Batman game will look like. Of course, we can hope for the best, but we will have to wait and see.
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- Suicide Squad failure is still affecting Rocksteady Studios. Developer faces more layoffs
