This year saw the end of one of the most successful video game series in recent times. When Batman: Arkham Knight released in June, it was to be the final game in the best-selling Batman Arkham franchise, which started with 2009's Batman: Arkham Asylum. Although Batman: Arkham Origins proved to be a damp squib in comparison to the other games in the series, overall the Arkham titles are seen as being amongst the best video games starring the caped crusader.
Batman: Arkham Knight has given the titular hero a strong send-off, but one that was somewhat tainted by controversy. The PC port of the title was riddled with bugs, including frame rate issues and serious glitches. Although patches have now resolved many issues, it was long after the situation had already become dire. Indeed, the legacy of the PC port of Batman: Arkham Knight may well be that it proved to be a fine example of how Steam refunds operate.
Warner Bros. Interactive came under fire for the PC version of the title, but it seems as though the publisher has already taken a step away from Batman: Arkham Knight – and from the Arkham series altogether. Indeed, Warner Bros. has revealed that there are plenty of possibilities for Batman to see another video game release. According to the publisher, there are "endless" games that the world’s greatest detective could appear in.
In an interview with the official PlayStation blog, Ames Kirshen, Warner Bros. Interactive’s vice president of product development for Arkham and DC Comics games, heavily hinted that the publisher is far from done with the intellectual property. "Batman is one of the cornerstone IPs for Warner Bros." said Kirshen, who continued to state that the Arkham series allowed the publisher to "realise the full potential" of Batman in a video game format. "We don’t have anything to talk about at this time, but the possibilities are endless with a character as dynamic and beloved as Batman," he continued.
What’s more, it looks as though Warner Bros. is planning to turn its eye to other DC characters in coming projects. Kirshen suggested that other major DC Comics franchises could see the light of day, with particular focus on the IPs that "fans are interested in seeing and playing." From there, Warner Bros. Interactive would then get "the development studios with the strongest passion for those IPs to make the games."
It's no surprise to see Warner Bros. turning its eye to DC characters in the coming years, as characters from the comics powerhouse will see major feature film releases soon. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is currently scheduled for a March 2016 release, whilst Suicide Squad will arrive in August 2016. No doubt DC fans can expect some video games during these periods, be it in the form of straight adaptations of the films themselves or entirely new projects.
Source: PlayStation Blog