Batman: Arkham Shadow’s Meta Exclusivity Feels Like A Huge Misstep

I realize and acknowledge this first-hand that you don’t always get everything in life. As a Batman: Arkham fan, however, you don’t even get the bare minimum. Just ask the folks over at r/BatmanArkham—they’ve gone insane waiting for the franchise’s faithful reimagining. 

For those who missed it, Oculus Studios unveiled a new Batman game in recent times. As soon as I saw the trailer’s thumbnail on my Discover feed, I gasped in shock. I can’t remember the last time I tapped on something on my phone that quickly, but what did it lead to? I have a feeling you can already tell. 

It really confuses me as to why WB Games continues to prioritize everything else other than a real Batman game for modern-day platforms, one that would reignite this franchise and propel it to heights hitherto unachieved before.

I mean, that’s pretty much a no-brainer at this point, especially when Batman: Arkham Knight, an action-adventure that came out nearly a decade ago, still averages about 2,000 players on Steam. For an old-gen single-player game, that’s not entirely bad. 

How Arkham fans reacted to The Arkham Shadow Trailer…
byu/OkFun1124 inBatmanArkham

No One Wanted A VR-Exclusive Batman After Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was Rocksteady’s and WB Games’ answer to the outcry of fans and followers asking for a new Batman game since God knows when. Of course, the mark of “live service” as soon as it became known to the public came as a heavy blow to the franchise stans. All right, so WB probably wanted to mark its foray into something new. Understandable. I mean, how bad it can be? 

Really bad. 

The shooter’s early access went live three days prior to its global launch. When it did, not only was it broken in most aspects, signaling an unfinished release, but refund searches for the game spiked by almost a whopping 800% right afterward. Then came the Steam reviews, the official acknowledgment by WB that its project failed to meet expectations, and finally, the realization. 

Suicide Squad, one of our key video game releases in 2024, has fallen short of our expectations since its release earlier in the quarter, setting our games business up for a tough year-over-year comp in Q1,” said WB’s Chief Financial Officier Gunnar Wiedenfels.

The realization that the recipe Rocksteady and WB Games have mustered up is nothing but bland and uninspired, and a massive far cry from the original ambition of the Batman: Arkham games. So to speak, you can’t say that you didn’t see it coming. The writing was on the wall ever since Suicide Squad’s premise was explained to the world, along with the firm stance of the devs that the project’s core isn’t changing.

Arkham fans, are you actually ok with Shadow being VR exclusive or no? Honest thoughts (humor welcome)
byu/Sufficient_Plant8689 inBatmanArkham

The Legacy Of Batman: Arkham Continues To Get Ignored

I do not just speak for myself when I say that the major constituents of the Batman: Arkham franchise are still the best superhero games one can play in the day and age we live in today. The dark tone, the thrilling atmosphere, and the vigor of roaming around as The Caped Crusader himself stands unrivaled years later, with the series itself begging for faithful redemption. 

Playing Arkham Asylum again after all these years still best Batman game
byu/Minute-Mechanic ingaming

If you’ve somehow managed to miss out on the greats that are Batman: Arkham Asylum, City, Origins, and Knight, do yourself a favor and brush up on these superhero giants. It’s the only way for the uninitiated to recognize what I’m on about. 

Comment
byu/DemiFiendRSA from discussion
inBatmanArkham

It’s like WB hates making money when it evades something that could go on to sell tremendously, provided that Rocksteady brings the same magic around as it did with earlier Batman games. But then again, who knows? This exclusive partnership with Meta could be raking in an unprecedented amount of money for the publisher.

Still not worth more than a current-gen Batman title, which could branch out in various directions, considering the way things concluded in Batman: Arkham Knight. Won’t spoil the plot if you’re reading this and haven’t tried the title out yet, which you genuinely should. The general consensus, which includes me as well, would love something in the same vein as Batman Beyond, the premise of which is set in a futuristic Gotham.

Batman: Arkham Beyond Concept
byu/DiKDiK316 inbatman

The Future Is Grim

Back in November last year, Warner Bros. Games made it official that it plans on converting its biggest franchises into live service, and that’s quite the devastation for fans of the Batman: Arkham series across the board. I don’t see our dreams coming true anytime soon, and WB being upfront about it just puts another nail in this metaphorical coffin. 

Our focus is on transforming our biggest franchises from largely console and PC based with three-four year release schedules to include more always on gameplay through live services, multiplatform and free-to-play extensions with the goal to have more players spending more time on more platforms.”

And For VR Fans …

It’s not like Batman: Arkham Shadow is coming out on all VR tech either, such as the PSVR2—it’s a Meta Quest 3 exclusive, which is a $500 mixed reality VR headset although with nice features and great value, can’t deny that.

If nothing else, I can be sad and enraged over WB’s continued negligence toward the rest of us who want a proper Batman game, but I won’t be bitter. I hope the project turns out nice, and isn’t some tech demo for the Meta Quest 3 that will finish as soon as it begins. Hopefully, we are past this stage, and Arkham Shadow brings a good time to the table.