Rocksteady May Be Back in Gotham: New Batman Game Hinted
The poor reception of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League does not appear to be the end for Rocksteady Studios. It seems the studio has been given another opportunity. Whispers suggest they have returned to doing what they are best at: Batman.
Job Listings Point to a New Batman Arkham Project
How do we know this? Rocksteady is hiring again. Job listings, particularly for programmers, have appeared. This gives us a clue regarding their next big project.
Unreal Engine 5 and Next-Gen Consoles Speculation
Conjecture built from observations of these employment postings, and supported by reporting from industry insiders like Jason Schreier of Bloomberg, indicates the studio is gearing up for a followup to the extremely well-received Batman: Arkham games. Excitingly, this followup is allegedly being built using the powerful Unreal Engine 5.
Here's a detail that is raising eyebrows: the job listings cite development not just for current consoles (PS5, Xbox Series X/S), but also for next generation consoles. That is, rumors of PlayStation 6 and whatever is cooking at Microsoft next.
It is unusual to see rumors about hardware so far in the future. Actual talks about PS6 or the next Xbox are barely present yet. One wonders how ambitious this new Batman game will be.
Hope Amidst Studio Restructuring
This news arrives after a rough period for Rocksteady. Following the underperformance of Suicide Squad, Warner Bros. instituted layoffs. Sources indicate another wave of cuts occurred as recently as late December last year, nearly a year after the release of Kill the Justice League.
While the future holds potential for a return to Gotham with advanced tech (and perhaps future-tech), it's happening amidst significant restructuring within the studio. One hopes this focus on a new Arkham game signals a healthy return for the talented team.
