Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham series was extremely successful and acclaimed. Ever since 2015's Arkham Knight, fans of the series have been anxiously awaiting to see its follow-up. Rumors surfaced from time to time, but then a reveal poster went up earlier in August, followed by an official game title, and then exciting cinematic footage at DC FanDome. As it turned out, Rocksteady's Arkham follow-up isn't a Batman game, after all. It's Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
At first glance, it might seem strange that Rocksteady Studios would choose their next big DC title to focus on the Suicide Squad. Batman: Arkham is a beloved franchise, and the Dark Knight is arguably DC's most popular character when considering all media platforms. It seems likely Batman will figure into the Suicide Squad game in some way, since he's a member of the Justice League, the presumed villains of the game. But why would Rocksteady choose to leave Gotham and the Dark Knight behind this time?
The connections between Suicide Squad and the Arkham games are mostly through characters. Multiple characters from the Arkham series have already appeared in the footage from DC FanDome. Harley Quinn, who was locked up during the events of Arkham Knight, is the central figure in the trailer. Deadshot, who appeared most prominently in Arkham Origins, is another playable character in Suicide Squad. Although both characters look a bit different than their Arkham versions, the new Suicide Squad is set inside the same universe as the Arkham games.
Why Rocksteady Chose Suicide Squad Instead Of Batman Again
So, why exactly would Rocksteady choose Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League as its next game? Based on what's been revealed of the game so far, the best answer is that Rocksteady just needed a change of scenery — figuratively and literally. Arkham Knight was a divisive entry that felt a bit stale compared to its predecessors, and everyone — likely including Rocksteady — knew the formula needed to be changed. The new Suicide Squad game is an open-world Metropolis, which will most likely be explored in a similar way to Gotham in the Arkham series. Still, the setting is completely different, which allows Rocksteady some artistic freedom after establishing such a realistic Gotham in its previous games. There's only so much that can be done to keep Gotham feeling new and fresh, so this time around, Rocksteady is taking the action completely out of the Dark Knight's city.
Even the characters and gameplay hints at Rocksteady's desire to step outside of the usual Batman: Arkham formula. Instead of controlling a single hero, players can control any of the four playable members of the Suicide Squad. The other members can be controlled via AI in single-player mode, or be utilized by real-world users in multiplayer. In single-player, people can seamlessly switch between the members of the Suicide Squad. Again, it's breathing some fresh air into Rocksteady's Arkham-verse.
Sometimes, a change of scenery is exactly what's needed to get out of a creative slump. It seems like developers at Rocksteady preemptively switched up the Arkham formula to reinvigorate both themselves and their fanbase. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League isn't set to release until 2022, so we'll have to wait until then to see if it pays off.