Rocksteady might be planning to bounce back from its suffering action-adventure shooter Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League with a new single-player pitch.
The game would ideally “return Rocksteady to its roots,” Bloomberg writer Jason Schreier says in a June 6 report. Investment analyst Doug Creutz later tells Bloomberg that “I think [Rocksteady will] definitely get another at-bat” with publisher Warner Bros. Games. “Hopefully with something more aligned with their demonstrated talents.”
Rocksteady’s acclaimed Batman: Arkham series indeed focuses on slick, single-player adventure, establishing Warner Bros.’ morose comic book hero as a stealthy genius with gritted teeth.
The Rocksteady Batman wasn’t exactly a Christopher Nolan martyr (The Dark Knight trilogy’s mid-2000’s release schedule loosely overlaps with Rocksteady’s). But he wasn’t far from it, either. Rocksteady took him seriously, making Batman the kind of quiet and complex video game protagonist you wish you could hear thinking, like Dead Space’s Isaac Clarke or Metroid’s Samus Aran.
All that to say, he’s memorable. And, through its Arkham games, Rocksteady soon became synonymous with transportive solo gaming. Even after a few delays, Kill the Justice League couldn’t manage to drum up the same steely charisma for its four-person co-op format.
GR+ editor-in-chief Josh West thought the multiplayer, which also has a solo option, was an empty open-world and that its characters lacked individuality. Schreier reports that the game struggled under Warner Bros.’ tricky expectations, and Rocksteady execs seemed to have pushed developers to become familiar with live-service online multiplayers, because that was what Warner Bros. was after.
“Over time, the leaders’ vision kept morphing, most notably switching from an emphasis on melee combat to heavily focusing on guns,” Schreier writes. “The change left some staff members wondering why protagonists such as Captain Boomerang, known for fighting with his namesake weapon, would suddenly pivot to gunplay.” Ultimately, Warner Bros. appears to have a $200 million dud on its hands, but a new IP could be exactly what Rocksteady needs to get back on its feet.
It could take some cues from the 10 best superhero games that you should play today.
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