It’s difficult to know with certainty anymore whether a game will get a sequel as its commercial performance is often what determines that, even with bigger franchise IPs. Warner Bros. recently stated its gaming priorities, which would presumably be the most lucrative IPs with the highest success rates, and it’s no surprise that this statement acknowledges Batman in particular regarding DC;Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguewas likely a low point for DC lately, not unlike howMarvel’s Avengerswas a low point for Marvel, whileBatman: Arkham Shadowhas turned quite a few heads despite being exclusive to the Meta Quest 3/3S.
Batman: Arkham Shadowis a modern point of re-entry into the Arkhamverse’s beloved continuity long beforeSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguetakes place and could give Rocksteady an opportunity to follow the Meta Quest 3 exclusive with a direct sequel that stars Roger Craig Smith as Batman and returns to the standard third-person perspective. That said, Rocksteady would be better equipped to work on a direct sequel toSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leagueand start a new chapter in the Arkhamverse while allowing Camouflaj to develop its own direct sequel in the Arkhamverse’s prequel era.
A Batman: Arkham Shadow Sequel Would Be in No Better Hands Than Camouflaj’s
Camouflaj has been fairly plain lately with how viable the opportunity may be for it todevelop its own sequel toBatman: Arkham Shadowand no studio would be more deserving. Indeed, the trail of breadcrumbsShadowlays out already foreshadows a sequel that would presumably feature Poison Ivy’s origin story, at least given how many times Dr. Pamela Isley is referred to with relevance to the game’s narrative events, teasing how imminent her transformation may be in the canon timeline.
Likewise,Dr. Harleen Quinzel, Dr. Jonathan Crane, and District Attorney Harvey Dentare all on the cusp of becoming colorful super-criminals Harley Quinn, Scarecrow, and Two-Face, and it’d be fantastic to see or all of them reprised by Tara Strong, Elijah Wood, and Troy Baker respectively.
Otherwise, the sequel could take a much-needed break from these iconic characters and, asShadowdid, emphasize even more lesser-known or underdeveloped antagonists. Regardless, the Arkhamverse is in wholly competent hands at Camouflaj, and a direct sequel taking place not long afterShadowshould be its own to pursue.
Rocksteady Has a Responsibility to Give the Arkhamverse a New Modern Era
Because it developed three excellent entries in the Arkhamverse and conceived the franchise’s lore-rich continuity in the first place, it’s only natural to want Rocksteady back at the helm of Batman-led games. It’s odd, though, that a decade ago Rocksteady was believably content to let Gotham City and its Batman smolder to ashes.Rocksteady getting back into the saddle forSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguewasn’t even seen as a willingness for the studio to continue makingArkhamgames because of how much the live-service shooter has cleaved itself away from them.
The needless retcons and strange narrative choices it makes include an arguably jarring reinterpretation of Harley Quinn and a complete character swap for Deadshot, both of which Rocksteady poorly explains away.Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguedidn’t even keep the Justice League deadand hold to its convictions for the game’s core conceit; introducing a multiverse was always going to muddy the Arkhamverse’s clear waters, but now there are a lot of questions that need answering and Rocksteady’s never been one to divulge all of its narrative loopholes and secrets.
Nonetheless, if Batman is going to become its focus once more due to theArkhamgames being as popular as they are,Rocksteady has an obligation to forge a path forward for the Arkhamversein the present day. A Batman story in the Arkhamverse after he’s been part of the Justice League could be enthralling now that his connections to other corners of the DC mythology are broadened, and it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility anymore to hear voice messages from characters such as Diana Prince or Clark Kent addressed to Bruce Wayne.
