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- Rocksteady’s direction with the Arkham franchise has only worsened with their latest VR title, which nobody wants.
- Batman Arkham Shadows will be a Meta Quest 3 exclusive, further making it prone to be a commercial failure
- Batman will evidently get a new start in the video game world and will hopefully get a tie-in game with the new DCU.
Up until a year ago, the Batman Arkham series was my favourite gaming franchise. Those games made me truly fall in love with The Dark Knight. Since playing the Arkham games, I’ve become a huge Batman fan and read almost all his comic issues.
However, Rocksteady has now become a shell of its former self and hasn’t been that kind to the Dark Knight. The Arkham franchise is no longer what we know of since the release of Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, a game universally hated.
The recent announcement of the first mainline Arkham game in nearly a decade seemed promising, but it turned out to be a VR game—and a huge letdown even after all the low expectations I had from Rocksteady. This was the franchise’s last chance to redeem itself, and I fear that Rocksteady has just blown it.
Why It Matters: Rocksteady has butchered the Arkham series, which was once regarded as the best action series of all time. The developers are continuing to disrespect Batman’s legacy with these poor decisions.
Nobody Likes VR Exclusive Games
The VR concept is cool, and I love how games are ported to the platform after being released as proper console and PC titles. However, Rocksteady’s decision to make Batman Arkham Shadows was a little dumb, considering the track record of VR-exclusive games.
Assassin’s Creed Nexus was released last year, and despite being absolutely amazing, it was considered a commercial failure because it was released on a platform with a relatively small market.
Hence, I can already foreshadow Batman Arkham Shadows as a commercial failure, which is backed by the fact that on top of a VR exclusive, the game is also a Meta Quest 3 platform exclusive.
Personally, I know very few people who use VR and even fewer with Meta Quest 3. Even among Meta Quest 3 users, I don’t think everyone will buy Batman Arkham Shadows. I doubt that the title’s sales will even cover the development costs.
Batman Arkham Shadows Looks Amazing But Not Something That The Franchise Needs
One would think that, after Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League’s failure and almost being shut down as a studio, Rocksteady would make a huge comeback and try to redeem itself, but they’ve already sunken further.
Whether a publisher or studio decision, going VR wasn’t the right choice; people needed a AAA title that would follow Batman Arkham Knight’s story. It was still pretty heartbreaking to see a Batman Beyond title in the franchise that was set years after the events of Arkham Knight being scrapped for Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League.
All talks aside, Batman Arkham Shadows looks good from the small clips we’ve seen in the trailer, and I love that we’ll get to witness the old gameplay styles from Arkham City—at least some of us will.
Regardless, the game looks outdated and is a carbon copy of the older games. Batman Arkham VR was a better concept but still not what the franchise needs right now. All Warner Bros. and Rocksteady have done is set themselves for failure with this title.
New Beginnings For Batman
Rocksteady can’t be trusted with future Arkham or Batman games, and that’s something every one of us can agree upon. I can also see the Arkham series being laid to rest and the caped crusader getting new beginnings in the future.
With James Gunn as the new co-CEO of DC Studios, he’s decided to bring together the animated department, live-action, and video games in the same universe.
As such, we’ll probably get to see tie-in DC video games, and characters like Superman and Batman will probably get video game adaptations in the DCU. Hopefully, under James Gunn’s supervision, the character will get the love from the creative team that it got from the original Arkham trilogy.
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[News Reporter]
Shaheer is currently pursuing a Business degree while also working as a part-time Content Writer. With his deep passion for both writing and video games, he has seamlessly transitioned into a role as a Journalist. Over the past two years, Shaheer has contributed as a freelancer to various websites and landed positions on acclaimed platforms like Gamerant. Currently, his role at Tech4gamers is as a Features Writer, but he also covers News occasionally. Shaheer’s favorite gaming franchises are Assassin’s Creed and the God of War series.
Get In Touch: shaheer@tech4gamers.com
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