It’s been literally years since we’ve seen either Rocksteady Studios or WB Montreal in action. That’s not to say they haven’t been working on anything, but rumors have been circling about their next projects for months. But today, during the DC FanDome live event, we got a good look at just what’s in store over the next couple of years.
WB Montreal, who last brought us the critically acclaimed Batman: Arkham Origins, have a new chapter in store called Gotham Knights. But instead of focusing on the Caped Crusader, it puts the spotlight on four of his allies, who find themselves in deep trouble with the Court of Owls, a legendary group of villains.
Meanwhile, Rocksteady is not working on a new Superman game. Instead, it’s focusing on Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, a game where a rogue team chases after heroes infected by a mysterious force. It’s not going to be easy to figure out, but if anyone can do it, they can.
Let’s break down each game and see what’s coming our way!
The Gotham Knights Enter
The story kicks in with the trailer above, with reports that Bruce Wayne has bit the dust following a mysterious explosion. In his wake, he calls upon the Knights to investigate what
happened behind it, with the Court of Owls likely to be responsible. In the game, players will choose from one of four characters – Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin or Red Hood. Each one has provocative attacks that tie in with their personalities. Nightwing, for instance, can brutally assault foes and use special abilities like stealth. Red Hood, meanwhile, is all about the gunplay and demolishing force that he’s become known for. Each character brings something special to the table, and players can choose who they wish to start as. (Why do we have a feeling people are going to fight over Red Hood?)
Instead of multiplayer like what Arkham Origins provided, WB Montreal will instead provide an option for co-op for up to four players. That means people can team up together to unleash devastating attacks, or clear out a room of enemies systematically. They’ll need to work in unison in order to avoid danger from overcoming them, courtesy of the Court of Owls.
But the journey is anything but easy. Along the way, the team will face off against familiar adversaries, like Mr. Freeze. You can see that gameplay footage below, where the ice cold villain puts up quite the fight.
The game is due for release sometime in 2021. Game platforms haven’t been announced yet, but PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and PC are likely, thanks to the next-gen visuals provided.
Suicide Squad Reporting For Duty
Not to be outdone by its fellow Batman producing studio, Rocksteady Games returns for the first time since Batman: Arkham Knight to bring us Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Though no actual gameplay footage was shown during the presentation, we did get an idea of what’s in store for Harley Quinn and company.
The game takes place in Metropolis, in what appears to be post-takeover by the powerful Brainiac. Led by Amanda Waller (thanks to explosives implanted in their heads), Quinn, alongside King Shark, Deadshot and Captain Boomerang, take on enemies before coming upon a hypnotized Superman, who has no trouble frying his opponents with his eye beams.
Like Gotham Knights, Suicide Squad looks to be very co-op oriented, with up to four players supported for each game, with each one choosing their own character. It can also be played solo, with AI filling in the other roles. Like Gotham, each character has unique abilities. King Shark is a defiant creature in combat; Boomerang is good with projectiles and teleportation; Deadshot knows how to get around and lay waste with his high-tech weaponry; and, of course, Quinn is just plain crazy.
Alas, we’ll be waiting quite a while before we can take this crew for a spin. Rocksteady has dated the game for sometime in 2022 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and PC. More than likely, this time next summer we’ll get a first glimpse at gameplay, and see what’s in store for this unlikely crew. For that matter, we’ll also see if other members get added to the fray, like Polka Dot Man. Who doesn’t want to play as Polka Dot Man!?
Check out the trailer below. And welcome back the development studios with a vengeance! It’s been a while.
