What Rocksteady Games Should Do Following Arkham Knight

Rocksteady Games broke a curse with the Batman franchise. Not only did Rocksteady create one of the first good Batman games in a long time with Batman: Arkham Asylum, but the developer quite possibly made one of the best comic book superhero-based video games of all time. Then, Rocksteady followed up Arkham Asylum with Arkham City, which was even better. The franchise goes next-gen with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in Batman: Arkham Knight. For Rocksteady, this will be the final installment in its Arkham Trilogy. After Arkham Knight, the company is moving on from Batman. Speaking to Game Informer, game director Sefton Hill is adamant that Arkham Knight will be Rocksteady’s final installment of the Dark Knight’s mythos. But what will Rocksteady move onto next now that the Arkham franchise defined its existence and history?

Personally, I would not mind seeing Rocksteady tackle a completely new or original IP that is completely its own. With the Arkham franchise, Rocksteady has built a very prestigious reputation. Rocksteady likely punches its own ticket for whatever game it wants to make next. After developing Dead Island and Dead Island: Riptide for Deep Silver, Techland moved to Warner Bros. Interactive to develop Dying Light. It would be ostensibly awesome for Rocksteady to create a brand-new franchise. It would probably  be preferable for the next title to reflect something other than the DC Universe. Expectations will be incredibly high for whatever game Rocksteady makes next. However, if Rocksteady tackles another DC property expectations could rise to a highly unrealistic degree due to the success of The Arkham Trilogy. If Rocksteady does something different using a pre-existing license, a possible franchise is Legacy of Kain. I have absolutely no idea if this could work out, but I think Rocksteady could do a tremendous job with that franchise. Rocksteady can craft a great gameplay around an intriguing story. In fact, there is no new true continuation of Legacy of Kain on the horizon. Creative director Amy Hennig has moved on and is long gone from that franchise. I definitely would not mind seeing Rocksteady take a crack at this. Another franchise Rocksteady would be perfect for is James Bond: 007. Perhaps Rocksteady’s version consists of something similar to the Arkham franchise but with James Bond and his cast of characters. There have been some decent James Bond games; but in my humble opinion, the only really great one is the original Goldeneye. The James Bond world has a deep mythos to draw from, and Rocksteady could play with a lot of material there.

Sefton Hill said that Rocksteady is not focused on what’s next since the company is only focused on Arkham Knight right now. However, when the time comes for Rocksteady to move on, I cannot wait to see what they come up with. At least one title that can be officially ruled out (per the Game Informer interview) is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.