It's no secret that Warner Bros. Games is currently in a really difficult position. Not only did they have to cancel their live-service fighting title, MultiVersus, but they also axed Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League earlier than expected — losing a total of $300 million in the process. As if that wasn't enough, we haven't had any update on the development of Monolith's Wonder Woman, even when it was announced all the way back in December 2021. Besides, rumors have suggested that WB Games Montreal has been hard at work on a DC property, yet the studio remains radio-silent after the disastrous release of Gotham Knights.
With such a streak of discouraging news, we need to ask the question: What's really going on behind the curtains? Well, we might finally have an answer, but it's one that isn't reassuring in the slightest... except for one bright spot.
The Flash has been canceled and Wonder Woman was rebooted
Thanks to a report by Jason Schreier, via Bloomberg, it was revealed that Monolith's Wonder Woman suffered a reboot "early last year". The title was initially intended to make use of the Nemesis System — a wonderful gameplay mechanic patented by Warner Bros. Games back in 2014 only to never be used again. With it, NPCs remember the player's every action and react accordingly, allowing a unique gameplay experience across every playthrough. Unfortunately, it seems the shift in direction resulted in the Nemesis System being dropped in favor of a more "traditional" experience. Worse yet, is that the game is nowhere close to seeing the light of day even after being announced more than three years ago.
On the other hand, Batman: Arkham Origins and Gotham Knights' developer, WB Games Montreal was working on a Flash video game but those plans were scrapped when The Flash movie underperformed. Unfortunately, it seems Warner might have learned the wrong lessons from that failure. Director Andy Muschietti stated that the DCEU's final project didn't meet expectations because "many people are not interested in The Flash as a character. Half of the quadrants, two are female [and] many women are not interested in The Flash as a character". So if the studio really believes the Scarlet Speedster is simply not a popular hero, it doesn't come as a surprise that a game with him on the lead was ultimately canceled. That being said, Warner's reasoning is questionable, at best.
It's worth noting that The Flash had mixed reviews, was generally criticized for its less-than-stellar VFX, and others didn't support it due to the actions of its lead actor. On the contrary, the opening episode of The CW's The Flash had almost 5 million viewers in its first week — a feat that positioned the show as the CW's best premiere in five years. That show went on to enjoy an extremely successful nine-season run. With that in mind, it seems Warner might have made a hasty and desperate decision when canceling a whole project surrounding one of its most popular and beloved heroes.
To make matters worse, WB Games Montreal pitched an idea for a Constantine game but got no response. So right now the studio is looking to turn their attention to the Game of Thrones saga where they might find more success. Fortunately, not everything is grim in the DC video game department, given that a dormant saga might make its long-awaited return.
A new Batman game from Rocksteady is on its way
There was a time when Rocksteady was considered one of the best developers in the industry due to their near-flawless work on the Batman: Arkham franchise. Fast-forward a few years later, and their first-ever live-service game Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was left to be forgotten. But now that support for their latest title has officially been canceled, the studio is looking to go back to its roots by developing a single-player Batman game.
To this date, Batman: Arkham Knight is still being considered a technical marvel due to its realistic graphics, amazing particle system, semi-destructible environments, and jaw-dropping fluid simulations. So the prospect of seeing what Rocksteady can achieve when they're not busy developing live-service mechanics and loot boxes is exciting, to say the least. If Batman: Arkham Shadow proved anything is that interest in the saga is still alive and well. Furthermore, the Caped Crusader has no shortage of amazing stories to tell.
On the one hand, I'd personally love to see how Rocksteady would go about creating a single-player Superman game. After all, they could look to build their new legacy with a new DC hero. On the other hand, I still remember playing Batman: Arkham City for the first time in my life, and thinking no other superhero game would be able to replicate such a feeling. Needless to say, I'm excited for them to continue their work on the saga that once put them on the map. Now the only question remaining is: Will we see Bruce Wayne back in action (especially after it was confirmed he survived the events of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League), or will Damian Wayne save the city this time around? Hopefully, it won't be long before we finally figure it out.