Arkham City Had “No concept of holding any ideas back” To Battle the 1 Technical Limitation Philosophy That Kills Games

Despite being released more than 13 years ago, Batman: Arkham City is still regarded as one of the greatest games ever to exist. It is the second installment in the Arkham series and is considered the heart and soul of the whole franchise, delivering the perfect mixture of storytelling, gameplay, and atmosphere that modern AAA titles are struggling to replicate.

Although the game was released almost a decade ago, fans of the game still recommend Batman: Arkham City over any other modern game. Let’s see what Rocksteady did right that other game developers did not.

Why is Batman: Arkham City so special?

Batman: Arkham Series is one of the most incredible franchises out there. Bringing the DC superhero to life and giving the players a chance to actually become “The Batman,” the Arkham series has set the bar too high for other games to catch up. From the whole storyline to the graphics, the games are perfect.

Although technology has leaped since 2011, not many games nowadays have that sort of feeling that Batman: Arkham City gave us. It is like being embraced and being brought into this world of fantasy by the developers, while modern-day titles feel more half-hearted.

In a 2011 interview between the marketing game manager at Rocksteady, Dax Ginn and The Guardian, he said that Rocksteady studios have no notion of holding ideas back, even if it’s last minute.

There’s no concept of holding any ideas back. I just feel like it’s so rare you get the chance to release a game which has this level of anticipation swirling around it. We need to make the best game we could possibly make – then we’ll worry about what comes next.

During the interview, he also added that Rocksteady Studios are committed to putting out a polished experience for the player and they wouldn’t release anything that has a lot of bugs.

What are modern developers doing wrong?

The dedication to put out and release a game with no bugs and no hassle is what sets apart the Batman Arkham series from Rocksteady and other modern-day AAA titles. Rocksteady had delivered a polished and refined experience from the beginning while developers nowadays push to release a game relying on post-launch patches to fix the issues.

An example of this is Cyberpunk 2077. Upon release, the game was filled to the brim with bugs, leaving a bad taste on the players, and ruining the reputation of both the game and its developers, CD Projekt Red. Although the game had vast potential, the game’s launch was botched just because the studio was prioritizing meeting deadlines rather than delivering a polished experience.

Games like Batman: Arkham City act as a reminder of an era when developers used to devote themselves completely to their games and build masterpieces, rather than maximize profits and meet deadlines. Rocksteady’s dedication to delivering a refined experience is why the Arkham series continues to be one of the best game franchises ever.