How is this happening…. Again?! Warner Bros. are currently working on a live service game based on one of their iconic IPs from the massive WB and DC Comics catalogue they control. Come closer if you want to hear this oddly familiar whisper (“Another one…” said in a DJ Khaled voice), but this SURELY can’t be happening again, right?!
If the last few years, Hell, even the last decade or so, have taught us anything about the gaming industry, it’s that live service gaming is literally the biggest gamble you can take as a video game company ever. Almost no live service games take the jackpot and when you have even Destiny 2 struggling to keep its place in the mix, why would you even contemplate throwing your hat into the ring? Mind you, if they do hit the jackpot like Fortnite and Warzone have, then I guess it’s worth it… at least to the executives in charge.
Warner Bros. however, have clearly not learnt their lesson from losing a combined total of 300 million dollars at the dealers’ table when they lost out on Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Multiversus. A new job posting from the developers indicates that they are once again chasing the pipe dream of a live service jackpot. After WB Games restructured their departments, I thought this was all over with.
The job listing is for an executive producer role at Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad support studio WB Games Montreal. Oh, Gotham Knights… What could have been? In the job description, Warner Bros. says that the executive producer “will lead the development of a high-quality AAA game based on one of the iconic IPs from the vast Warner Bros. and DC Comics catalogue.” It pains me as a DC fan that DC games are really not creating bangers when they have such an extensive list of heroes and villains that could make the jump to Batman: Arkham style gaming success.
What the listing hasn’t told us is what the IP the unannounced game will be based on and given that WB Montreal are the creators of the Batman universe, I’d hazard that the apple won’t fall far from the Bat-filled tree, but who knows. However, based on the listing we’ve gotten a pretty clear view of what Warner Bros. has in mind for the “AAA Game,” as they outlined – “Oversee all phases of development, from concept to post-launch live operations” and “Oversee post-launch content and live service strategy, ensuring ongoing player engagement.”
With this, the post also lists a “deep understanding of the full game development lifecycle, including live services,” under what is seen as preferred qualifications. Amongst other factors which drew up to this, in February it seemed that we, as fans, broke through to Warner Bros.’ live service glory hunt as sources close to them said Rocksteady was looking to return to its roots within Arkham with a new single-player Batman production. Unfortunately, the goal only shifted over to WB Montreal, who had development work on Suicide Squad after being pulled from a Flash game that was reportedly scrapped in 2023.
On this, by the way, it is worth saying that because of Suicide Squad’s major flop, WB Games Montreal had 99 layoffs in December 2024, all down to how badly the Suicide Squad game performed. Whilst we know they primarily affected subcontractors, it’s still a dark reality that Warner Bros. haven’t learnt their lesson and continue to try and flog a dead horse, even when it’s not even been a year since the last disaster.
What do you guys think? Could Warner Bros. hit the jackpot on the third attempt? Or will disaster strike once again? Let us know in the comments down below.
