Rocksteady Studios has made a name for itself with the Batman Arkham series, creating some of the very best superhero experiences in all of video games. Because of that, it makes sense that Rocksteady would stick with the superhero genre for its next game.
Rumors of a Superman game made by Rocksteady first popped up years ago, and they only grew as there was nothing but silence from the studio. Fans were, understandably, excited to see how the studio could reinvent Superman, just like how they reinvented Batman.
Unfortunately, those Superman game rumors have turned out to be false, as Rocksteady is primed to reveal a different game, Suicide Squad. Interestingly, the art shown when the game was announced puts Superman front-and-center, meaning some of the rumors and details from before could still prove relevant.
Where the Superman Game Rumors Came From
Rumors of a Rocksteady Superman first popped up in 2018, when a "leaker" on 4Chan, who claimed to have details on the game that'd be announced at E3 2018. A year before this, someone falsely claimed that a Superman game would be revealed through Game Informer. Obviously, neither of these happened, but it helped fuel years of rumors of a Rocksteady Superman game. In late 2018 multiple Rocksteady job postings popped up for a "major AAA" title.
Two years later it looked like there may have been some truth behind the rumors, as concept art was found for a supposedly canceled Superman game in development at WB Montreal. As the developers behind Arkham Origins, it makes sense that WB Montreal could move onto another hero, and the art above was found in the portfolio of Joël Dos Reis Viegas, a concept artist at the studio. It seems likely that at some point Rocksteady wanted to make a Superman game, but with how things were going at WB Games, its priorities were shifted elsewhere.
Why Rocksteady Is Making Suicide Squad Instead
At some point, there was already a Suicide Squad game in the works at WB Montreal, and in 2016 Kotaku reported on its cancellation. The reason seemed to stem from shakeups at the Montreal studio and the fact that it failed to impress executives at Warner Bros. With that in mind, it's interesting to see Rocksteady announce a Suicide Squad game four years later. Far more interesting is that the poster features Superman, or potentially Bizarro Superman. With the trouble at WB Montreal, it's possible the company shifted the Suicide Squad game to Rocksteady, tasking them with creating something entirely original, rather than be tied to the 2016 film.
Rocksteady's interest in Superman could have been molded into Suicide Squad, pitting him, or Bizarro Superman, as the villain. Superman has featured in plenty of popular games, like Injustice, but the hero has a checkered history in terms of his own games. From the infamously terrible Superman 64 to the lackluster Superman Returns. WB has already shown some hesitation on Superman leading another film, so it's not unreasonable to think that the company could see a Superman-focused game as too risky.
Suicide Squad, on the other hand, lets Rocksteady fully harness its talent and creativity to create something unique, that matches the absurd tone of the super team. Putting Superman or Bizzaro in would also be a good way to subvert expectations, and present an interesting conflict. There's some grain of truth behind all the Superman game rumors, and the most likely scenario seems to be WB bringing Rocksteady onto Suicide Squad, but the studio implementing some of their own creative vision.
Rocksteady Studios' Suicide Squad will officially be revealed at DC FanDome on August 22.