What Rocksteady should make after Batman: Arkham Knight

Rocksteady Studios just wrapped up its Arkham trilogy in spectacular fashion with Batman: Arkham Knight. The English studio has said that this is the last game in the series, as they feel like they’ve done everything they can with Batman. But what will they do next? We have some ideas, even if many of them are pretty unlikely.

1. Superman

The Man of Steel seems like the most obvious choice for a follow-up, especially with Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice coming next year. There are even several Easter eggs in Arkham Knight that reference Supes’ nemesis, Lex Luthor, so perhaps the next stop is Metropolis. Superman has starred in some notoriously terrible games, but so had Batman until 2009’s Arkham Asylum. Rocksteady could surely rehab Superman, as well.

2. Metroid

Speaking of rehab, no one could use it more than Samus Aran. Nintendo’s famed bounty hunter last appeared in 2010’s underwhelming Metroid: Other M, and though Nintendo announced Metroid Prime: Federation Force for 3DS at E3, it’s not exactly what fans have been waiting for. Know why Rocksteady would make an amazing Metroid game? They already have. Arkham Asylum’s upgrade and progression system were heavily inspired by Metroid Prime, and the Dark Knight’s detective vision could have been another of Samus’ visors. And since Nintendo clearly doesn’t know what to do with the franchise, why not hand it over to Rocksteady to make Samus awesome again?

3. The Avengers

Marvel’s superhero team-up has made all the money in the world, and yet somehow we don’t have a video game version that doesn’t involve Legos or plastic toys. How is this even possible? In its three Arkham games, Rocksteady has shown its ability to juggle many different comic book characters, even if they all tend to play pretty similarly to Batman. Imagine what they could do with the Avengers if each had its own distinct gameplay mechanics? Rocksteady would be the greatest thing to happen to the Avengers since Joss Whedon.

4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Speaking of Joss Whedon, it’s been 12 years since the Chosen One went off the air, and though Buffy has lived on in comics, how amazing would it be to see her brought back to life on consoles? There was actually a surprisingly solid video game adaptation in 2002 on the original Xbox, but Rocksteady could expand on that with its top-notch fighting engine and excellent storytelling. Bonus points for a “Once More, With Feeling”-inspired music rhythm minigame.

5. Whatever the hell they want

Video games are all about sequels, prequels and known quantities. But after spending the better part of the decade working on the Batman license and earning millions of dollars for Warner Bros., it could be time to let Rocksteady create something original and exciting of its own. The studio has cemented itself as one of the best in the business, and whatever it may be, I can’t wait to see what they’ll do next. What would you like to see the team tackle? Let me know in the comments.

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