When Gotham Knights came out last October, it failed to deliver on the expectations. The hybrid co-op game, developed by Warner Games Montreal, struggled to impress its audience, leading many to label it as “dead” just nine months after its launch. However, recent rumors suggest that the game was simply biding its time inside the Lazarus Pit, waiting to emerge with presumably better content.
These rumors stem from players who, upon analyzing Steamdb, an aggregator of gaming information, noticed that files for updates were seemingly in the pipeline for Gotham Knights.
Naturally, this led to speculation among fans about the content of the potential updates, even hinting at a playable Batman – something many players wanted in the base game.
Such theories raise an intriguing possibility of a DLC story expansion centered around Bruce Wayne’s missions prior to the game’s events. This speculation aligns with data miners’ discoveries of game files featuring boss fights with Harley Quinn, Mr. Freeze, and Clayface, all of which may be part of an imminent DLC.
The prospect of a DLC story expansion, however, raises more questions than it answers. What could these story DLCs entail, considering the game’s four protagonists? With characters like Red Hood/Jason Todd, Robin/Tim Drake, Batgirl/Barbara Gordon, and Dick Grayson/Nightwing, the possibilities are plentiful.
For example, a Red Hood-focused storyline could delve into Jason Todd’s transformation from Joker’s torture victim into a vigilante. Meanwhile, a Robin-focused story might explore his detective exploits, revealing how he discovered the identities of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. An alternate storyline featuring Batgirl could probe her complex past with Joker, her transition to Oracle, or her connections with the Birds of Prey team. Nightwing, who has had a rich storyline in the comics, opens up the potential for a multitude of narratives.
But the reality is, Gotham Knights needs more than a series of DLCs to resuscitate its fanbase. While the potential inclusion of a playable Batman character or new boss fights may entice some players, many fans believe the game needs to step up to its next-gen potential. Critics have pointed out the underwhelming FPS performance, as well as the confusion around if the game is an attempt to establish a new universe or a standalone title that will never get a sequel.
Furthermore, players have expressed frustration with the combat system, criticizing it as being far less fluid compared to the Batman: Arkham games. Some even went as far as to say that the game’s protagonists felt out of place in the narrative. It seems the game’s ambition to introduce a bold, new perspective on Gotham, with Batman’s “sidekicks” taking the helm, fell short due to its gameplay and performance issues.
Nevertheless, the developers have a vast amount of DC source material to pull from for any potential DLC. The possibility of this speculated update, whether it’s a story expansion or a performance-improving patch, shining hope to fans. It may not erase the game’s less-than-stellar launch, but it could start to address some of the shortcomings, giving Gotham Knights a chance to re-engage its audience. Despite the criticism, the whispers of updates indicate that the game may not be ready to go down without a fight. Only time will tell if these rumors prove to be true, and if so, whether they will be enough to rekindle fans’ interest in the world of Gotham Knights.
As for Rocksteady Studios, the developers are hard at work on Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, which was delayed to next year following backlash. It’s believed that Warner Bros. Montreal is working on a different DC game already as well.
