Rocksteady Studios left Batman behind with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, but the Nvidia GeForce leaks suggest that the company could soon return to the Dark Knight's adventures. Unfortunately, despite the Caped Crusader's wild success in the Batman: Arkham series, several canceled projects and rumored games never saw the light of day. Thankfully, there are several projects that Rocksteady could revive, including Batman: Arkham Insurgency and Project Sabbath.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League follows Arkham but takes place in Metropolis and focuses on Task Force X. Instead of controlling Batman, players can choose from Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, and King Shark as they battle an evil Justice League and try to save the world. This is a significant departure from the Batman: Arkham series, which focused on a single protagonist and explored the traditional hero-villain conflict.
Many canceled games never receive a second chance once development is scrapped, but player demand can sometimes change the outcome. The Nvidia GeForce leaks provided insight on several PC projects rumored or thought to be canceled, but the list's validity is still questionable. Rocksteady's work on its Suicide Squad game could signal that the developer is switching gears into other superhero games, but Batman: Arkham's success makes a sequel likely in the future. A few rumored projects could reappear if Rocksteady returns to Batman games after Suicide Squad, although it is worth noting that the developer said that Batman: Arkham VR would be its last Batman title.
Batman: Arkham Insurgency Rumors Recently Resurfaced
Batman: Arkham Insurgency is a rumored prequel project that explored Batman's adventures with his first Robin, Dick Grayson. Both characters would have been playable, and several in-game systems would've received a total overhaul. rumored Batman: Arkham game.
If Batman: Arkham Insurgency is in Rocksteady's future, several aspects of gameplay and the story would likely experience some adjustments. For example, the Gotham Knights project explores after Batman's death when Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl, and Robin face off against the Court of Owls. If Arkham Insurgency is in development, it's unlikely Rocksteady could produce a game with the same main villain without significant backlash. However, many listed villains haven't received their chance in the spotlight. A prequel project with Batman and Robin could explore the earlier days between Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne, testing the Dark Knight's limits and forcing him to trust his new partner. Arkham Insurgency's use of Wayne Manor could feature a mechanic to play as Bruce Wayne and improve Gotham City legally. However, Batman: Arkham Insurgency isn't the only Batman: Arkham game Rocksteady could develop.
What Is Batman: Arkham's Canceled Project Sabbath?
Batman: Arkham Insurgency isn't the only rumored Batman game that may have received development over the last decade, as Project Sabbath also leaked several months ago. Unlike Batman: Arkham Insurgency, Project Sabbath had several pieces of concept art depicting Gotham City and various characters. The story, which was said to have been developed by WB Games Montréal, would have focused on Bruce Wayne teaching Damian Wayne to inherit Batman's title, with the original Dark Knight retiring from the field. Gotham City had since fallen into disrepair, with beautiful landmarks like Wayne Enterprises suffering from general decay and neglect. Project Sabbath also explored the future of Batman's villains with characters like Duela Dent and a new Black Mask appearing in official concept art.
If Rocksteady revives WB's canceled Batman: Arkham Knight sequel, it's unknown how players could react to Damian Wayne's inclusion. Damian Wayne's upbringing in the League of Assassins made the boy extremely violent and more likely to resort to lethal solutions. Time with his father helped soothe these urges, and though the Damian of more recent comics has mellowed, his burgeoning years as a rude brat may be less palatable for certain Bat-fans. Batman's personality has its own flaws, but Project Sabbath would likely need to adjust its protagonist to a more liked character like Terry McGinnis, Dick Grayson, or Tim Fox.
Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League Continues Batman: Arkham
Though Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Batman: Arkham occur in the same universe, it's unlikely for Batman to be featured very heavily. The game takes place in Metropolis with most of the Justice League mind-controlled by Brainiac and is chronologically after the Batman 'died' in Arkham Knight. With the current timeline (and the questionable outcome of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's story), it's unknown if Rocksteady could feasibly pursue a sequel project for Batman: Arkham Knight in the future. Instead, Batman's 'death' and the introduction of several high-profile superheroes may point towards new characters taking the spotlight, leaving Batman: Arkham behind for the foreseeable future.
Batman's success in the video game industry presents a profitable avenue for Rocksteady to pursue, but the existence of projects like Gotham Knights and Wonder Woman may complicate things. Oversaturation is a high risk, especially with Marvel's games competing against DC's titles. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Marvel's Wolverine provide significant competition for the games. Even if Rocksteady creates a sequel to Batman: Arkham Knight, it's unlikely that Bruce Wayne's Batman could continue to headline games on his own, leading to the necessity of Dick Grayson's Robin or Damian Wayne's Batman.
Whether Rocksteady returns to Batman or not is likely dependent on the success of its Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League game. The co-op villain game is a significant departure from the Batman: Arkham series but presents opportunities for the DC IP to grow beyond the Dark Knight. It's unlikely fans have seen the last Batman games, especially with Gotham Knights releasing sometime this year, but Rocksteady could be moving on to other projects. With DC projects delegated to three different studios, Rocksteady may have future opportunities to bring back Batman: Arkham's Project Sabbath or Arkham Insurgency.
Sources: MIC
