A report from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier suggests that British developer Rocksteady may be working on a new Batman game—the first mainline single-player Batman title since Batman: Arkham Knight almost ten years ago.
The report primarily covers internal issues at Rocksteady’s parent company and publisher, Warner Bros. Interactive, following President David Haddad’s departure after 12 years. It says that the developer is “looking to return to Batman for a single-player game” but also notes that this potential new entry is “years away from landing.”
Neither Warner Bros. Interactive nor Rocksteady has confirmed the claims in this report, so it is best to take them with a pinch of salt. Bloomberg further suggests that following the disappointing sales of live-service games Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (2024) and Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions (2024), alongside the success of Hogwarts Legacy (2023), Warner Bros. is shifting its focus from live-service titles to critically acclaimed, single-player experiences—including Batman games.
The studio’s most recent release, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, was a multiplayer-focused action title that was widely panned due to its outdated live-service model, cluttered UI and weak storyline. It sold poorly, with new content for the game set to end after just one year. With a development period of over seven years and a reported budget of $200 million, the game has fuelled discussions within the gaming industry about the increasing time and costs associated with modern AAA game development—particularly in pursuit of live-service profits.
Rocksteady is best known for developing the Batman: Arkham trilogy: Arkham Asylum (2009), Arkham City (2011), and Arkham Knight (2015). At the time, these games were considered groundbreaking among licensed IP adaptations and praised for their high-quality graphics, storytelling, and kinetic beat-’em-up-style combat system. This combat system has since influenced numerous action games, including Insomniac Games’ critically acclaimed Spider-Man series.
Warner Bros. also currently has a Wonder Woman game in development, being produced by Monolith, the American studio best known for F.E.A.R. and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. However, the Bloomberg report suggests that the game is facing development troubles, having been internally rebooted and undergone a change in directors. Additionally, it is allegedly already costing Warner Bros. over $100 million and is still several years away from release. Warner Bros. Montreal has allegedly been brought in to support Monolith with the project.
The Batman: Arkham games are widely regarded as some of the finest action-adventure titles ever made, and following the failure of Suicide Squad, many fans would welcome Rocksteady’s return to its roots. However, given the internal struggles at Warner Bros., only time will tell whether this potential new game will ever see the light of day.
Words By Alex Daud Briggs
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