After the disastrous commercial failure of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, rumor is that Rocksteady’s returning to its roots. Reliable industry reporters have claimed the studio is working on a new Batman: Arkham game. Considering how badly Suicide Squad flopped, it’s only fitting that Rocksteady goes back to doing what it does best: developing legendary Batman games.
But this Batman game is also a make-or-break situation for the studio. They can’t afford to suffer another letdown. Otherwise, it’s the chopping block given how many first-party studios Warner Bros. has shuttered already in 2025. For Rocksteady’s new Batman: Arkham game to succeed, though, it needs to be special. It needs features that fans would love and those that felt missing in previous Batman games. The Arkham series has been around for almost two decades now, so the wishlist for features has grown quite a bit. Below you’ll find everything we need for this new Batman game to succeed.
1. The Nemesis System
Monolith Productions introduced the Nemesis System in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War. The Nemesis System lets NPCs remember interactions with the player and make dynamic choices. Enemy NPCs can also be made friendly, helping you beat up other enemies by betraying them. However, the reverse is also true since ally NPCs can turn into foes at any moment.
The Nemesis System was a very interesting concept, and the Middle-earth games showed it had awesome potential. However, Warner Bros. Entertainment patented the system and later shut down Monolith Productions. The Nemesis System hasn’t been used in a game since 2017 and is rotting away behind Warner Bros. doors. Hopefully, Rocksteady experiments with adding it to their Batman game.
The Nemesis System would suit Gotham’s street crimes really well. Thugs who can be turned into allies and those who remember interactions with Batman. There’s a lot of potential in the Nemesis System; it’s just that Warner Bros. Games desperately needs to use it.
2. Drivable Batmobile, Batbike, and Batwing
Batman: Arkham Knight had the Batmobile, and Gotham Knights had the Batbike. It’s about time that both of them, as well as the Batwing, are present in a new Batman game. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League had a big map, and it isn’t a reach to assume Rocksteady’s next game will have one that’s bigger. Considering that, it’s the perfect time to introduce multiple means of transportation for Batman in a single game.
Rocksteady has already got the Batmobile figured out. It’s big, tanky, and versatile. It can fight enemy drones and other mechanical monstrosities. A Batbike and Batwing would open up room for new kinds of encounters. High-speed highway chases where Batman can use the guns on his bike to chase foes and the Batwing to traverse the city quickly or take on flying enemy vehicles.
More means of traversing Gotham means a lot more fun during combat and free roam. Plus, it only feels like a natural evolution to include the Batwing since we’ve already seen the Batmobile and Batbike in action.
3. Tough and Unique Boss Fights Like The Ones In Arkham Origins
The entire Batman video game fandom agrees that the Arkhamverse has bad boss fight designs. Out of the four Arkham games, the only exception is Batman: Arkham Origins. Its boss fights are cinematic, a little challenging, and genuinely enjoyable from a gameplay point of view. That said, parts of them are still scripted, and that doesn’t make the experience fully authentic.
Rocksteady should make up for these terrible boss fights in their new Batman game. And it’s not like it can’t be done. Lots of games with similar combat systems have done that, with Insomniac’s Spider-Man series being the best to do it. Having the new Batman game feature villains like Gorilla Grodd or Bane would be a good idea. They are brute force villains and would give Batman a run for his money in hand-to-hand combat. Good boss fights are an important ingredient for success, and here’s hoping Rocksteady understands that this time around.
4. More Than One Protagonist
Regardless of whether Rocksteady’s rumored Batman game is a continuation of the Arkhamverse or a brand-new story, it needs multiple protagonists. All four previous Batman: Arkham games were focused on Batman. Granted, Batman: Arkham Knight did let you play as Nightwing, Robin, Catwoman, and the others briefly during side missions, but that was a tiny portion of the game. The new narrative needs new characters.
Another rumor suggests that it’s actually a Batman Beyond-themed Arkham game Rocksteady is developing. If that’s the case, then having a new protagonist, Batman Beyond, is a great way of going about the new game. Even so, at least one more character should be the secondary protagonist.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is the perfect example of how to pull that off. Miles and Peter both have identical powers but are also different enough to make the gameplay feel fresh and energetic.
5. A Fully Interactive and Accessible Batcave
The last time players visited an interactive Batcave in the Arkhamverse was in Arkham Origins. However, it wasn’t fully accessible during free roam since you always had to fast travel there. Later, Batman: Arkham Knight used The Clock Tower as Bruce’s temporary base of operations.
The next Batman game needs to have an interactive Batcave again. And not only that, but it also needs to be fully accessible via free roam. No loading screens, no fast travel, just a seamless entrance and exit located near Wayne Manor. The Batcave is one of the major allurements of being Batman. A place where you can view Batman’s suits, study up on foes, and customize things to feel better.
Now with games becoming so advanced, a next-level Batcave shouldn’t be too much to ask. It’s a given that Rocksteady’s new Batman game will have a bigger map than Arkham Knight. What they just have to do is add Wayne Manor and a secret entrance to the Batcave tucked away in one corner. Players can then use the Batmobile, Batbike, or Batwing to enter and exit as they please.
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