Summary
The ports nobody demanded for or expected were announced somewhat recently as theBatman: Arkham Trilogyfor Switch. It’s not like these games are inaccessible or too old to have a current fanbase, and the first concern to hit everyone’s minds was whether each game’s performance and graphics would tank on the handheld system. On the other hand, having Batman’s exploits at fans’ fingertips again and while on the go may be fantastic for others, and it was even supposed to release this month. Unfortunately,Rocksteady has decided to delay theArkham Trilogy.
There was already negative discourse around Rocksteady’s ports when it was learned thattheArkham Trilogywill not come all on one cartridge. Games moving away from physical releases doesn’t make this decision too alarming, though, and Rocksteady has bigger fish to fry anyway as it already has its hands full with the divisiveSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. This upcoming multiplayer shooter has been controversial due to its live-service stance and its delay into early 2024, with theArkham Trilogy’s delay to December setting another bad precedent for the developer’s endeavors lately.
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Kill the Justice League’s delayswere disappointing to hear about for any eager fans wanting to see more of theArkhamfranchise’s next chapter. That said, because of how much heat Rocksteady received regarding the game’s insistence on live-service elements—which was a stark choice compared to its action-adventureBatmangames—fans were likely more open to it being delayed if it could mean that favorable changes would be made.
It’s still unclear what changes will be made toKill the Justice Leagueby the time of its supposed launch in February, but even following a nine-month delay fans shouldn’t get their hopes up that anything substantial about its gameplay design will be different. Unless Rocksteady has something incredibly encouraging to show fans the next timeKill the Justice Leagueappears, it will probably be doomed based solely on these pre-release expectations and assumptions.
Rocksteady’sArkham Trilogywas never going to be some emergent effort, but reminding fans whereKill the Justice League’s roots were made could maybe help smooth that transition over and allow for a direct lead-up to the sequel. Now, with this port collection being delayed, too, Rocksteady might be marred by this pattern.
Rocksteady’s Going to Have a Steep Hill to Climb in 2024
TheArkham Trilogyreleases in December, merely two months beforeKill the Justice League. This might even be a boon since the distance between them being shorter could help make that transition fromBatmantoSuicide Squadsmoother, but if the Switch trilogy performs poorly even after its recent delay it will only make fans more upset, and understandably so. Nobody shouldexpectArkham Knightto look or run better than it had on the base PS4, for example, though comparisons to these games—at least as they appeared on past console generations—will run rampant if the trilogy ports aren’t at least as stable or appealing, and that might be a tall order.
EvenKill the Justice Leaguewill need to compete visually withhowArkham Knightlooks nine years later, and while the Switch ports shouldn’t be held to a standard of graphical fidelity it is still going to be a talking point regardless. The fact of the matter is that game delays insinuate changes or improvements are being made, and if those implemented aren’t up to par with what fans had hoped, it will create a chain reaction that blemishes Rocksteady until it can prove that it has something of quality to deliver. Only time will tell how successful either title is.
Batman: Arkham Trilogyreleases on Switch on December 1.
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