Why Rocksteady’s Rumored Batman Beyond Game is the Ideal Successor to the Arkhamverse

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home February 22, 2025 19 Views 7 Min Read
Why Rocksteady’s Rumored Batman Beyond Game is the Ideal Successor to the Arkhamverse



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Rocksteady, the storied developer behind the Batman: Arkham trilogy, is in dire need of a fresh start. Though the company had not been immune to criticism in the past, it was generally thought of as a prestigious and talent-laden studio, one responsible for some of the most influential AAA games of the past decade. That decade of goodwill was swiftly washed away with the arrival of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, which has tainted the legacy of the so-called Arkhamverse for many players.

But now, rumors have emerged about Rocksteady possibly chipping away at a Batman Beyond game, which would come as welcome news for fans who have been praying for such a project for years. How exactly this rumored game would connect to the Batman: Arkham games is unclear, as the original Batman Beyond story was born from the Batman animated series, therefore linked to that continuity. Beyond follows Terry McGinnis, Bruce Wayne’s protégé, who takes up the mantle of Batman in a futuristic Gotham City while Wayne serves as more of a mentor. Naturally, this exact premise is impossible within the Arkhamverse due to Bruce Wayne’s death, suggesting that this rumored game would be part of a new universe.

Rumors about this Batman Beyond game are as-of-yet unconfirmed, but it’s worth noting that Rocksteady job listings claim the studio is working on an open-world brawler, which would fit with the Batman: Arkham formula.

Batman Arkham Asylum Shadow Colossus

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Batman Beyond Offers the Perfect Blank Slate for Rocksteady

Rocksteady Can Leave the Spoiled Arkhamverse Behind

While one can debate whether it’s fair to call the Arkhamverse “ruined” as a result of Suicide Squad, it’s definitely hard to imagine where the series can go from here. Even if Batman were to come back through multiverse shenanigans, Lazarus Pit magic, or some other plot contrivance, so many essential players of the Batman mythos are either dead or squeezed of all their potential after so many years in the Arkhamverse. So, even if Rocksteady were to develop a direct continuation of Suicide Squad starring Batman, so much would have to change, to the point where it would feel like a new universe anyway.

Loose continuity is something that comic book fans are all too familiar with: stories spun out of Flashpoint have covered all manner of bizarre and unfamiliar DC concepts, and Marvel’s multiversal structure has made the sky the limit for storytelling. There’s no reason why this same casual connection to canon shouldn’t be reflected in the world of gaming. In the case of Rocksteady’s superhero games, this could manifest in a completely new take on Batman, both the character and the series, putting a different premise and protagonist at the forefront.

Fresh looks at Gotham City, villains, and allies would all be inherent benefits of a Batman Beyond reboot from Rocksteady. Although audiences have grown enamored with the Arkhamverse, there’s little reason to believe that the same love couldn’t be nurtured for a new interpretation of the Batman series. In other words, it may be better to start anew rather than try to claw the Arkhamverse back to its glory days.

A Batman Beyond Spin-Off Could Respect Kevin Conroy’s Legacy

Kevin Conroy, the unmistakable voice of Batman in countless properties, including the Arkham games, tragically passed away in 2022 from intestinal cancer. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was, in fact, one of his last appearances as the iconic character. All of this is to say that he can most certainly not reprise his role as the caped crusader, and it’s difficult to imagine another actor filling his shoes any time soon. But a new incarnation of Batman—the Terry McGinnis incarnation—would serve as a buffer between Conroy and his successor, thereby respecting his decades-long history as the de-facto voice of the Dark Knight.

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