So far, we only know two things about Monolith Productions’ next project, a video game based on Wonder Woman. The first one is that it’s a single-player open-world game, as if no one’s ever done that with a superhero lead. Another fact is that it will use a procedurally generated Nemesis system, similar to the studio’s pair of Middle-earth: Shadow of games, because, why not? They patented the feature, after all. Plus, it makes sense if the game wants to establish what makes Wonder Woman different from Batman and Superman. The Princess of Themyscira doesn’t exactly mess around with her enemies. Now, there’s a third one, courtesy of a recent job posting.
Two years after its initial reveal, Monolith put up a listing for a lead software engineer with previous experience working on live-service titles. This recent bit of information quickly went viral as fans took it as evidence that the Wonder Woman game will be a live-service game.
However, in a statement sent to IGN, Warner Bros.’ representatives confirmed that Monolith’s upcoming game is “not being designed” with live-service in mind.
Now, why is this such a big deal? Well, for starters, live service isn’t exactly a term a lot of gamers warm up to, especially after recent failed comic book video game adaptations like Marvel’s Avengers and the increasingly negative opinion of the genre. While Fortnite, Destiny 2, Apex Legends, Call of Duty, and Grand Theft Auto Online all continue to pull in a ton of money, they have set an unfortunate precedent that other companies have tried and failed to emulate.
Many modern single-player titles used the live-service model to extend their lifespans in recent years. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey and Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla are good examples. Thankfully, Assassin’s Creed Mirage didn’t follow the same model. Although it does have microtransactions, Ubisoft has made it clear that it doesn’t intend to support it long-term (for what it’s worth, it’s getting a free post-launch update soon). We don’t even have to look further than Warner Bros.’ backyard for more examples. NetherRealm Studios’ Mortal Kombat and Injustice franchises have been live-service titles for years. Gotham Knights, which came out to unfavorable reviews last year, also tried to cash in on this trend.
Live service games are supported years after launching using a combination of seasonal updates as well as cosmetic-only microtransactions. As previously mentioned, it’s not specific to multiplayer or single player titles.
Given Warner Bros.’ stance on the live service genre, it’s surprising that it’s going out of its way to confirm that Wonder Woman won’t be a live service title.
Unfortunately, the job posting implies that the Wonder Woman game is in its early stages of development.
If you’re looking for a single-player experience (well, mostly) Rocksteady Studios’ Arkhamverse spin-off, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is coming soon. After a lengthy delay, the upcoming comic book video game adaptation will be available on February 2, 2024. However, it will be a live-service game that, for some reason, will offer its future content updates for free. It remains unclear how much about the game has changed after the backlash it received earlier this year. Most hope it’s mostly devoid of “greedy” monetization practices as it’s the final Batman performance from the late Kevin Conroy, who passed away on November 2022.
Batman: Arkham Trilogy is currently set to grapple gun its way to the Nintendo Switch on December 1.
