WB Montreal’s DC Game Has to Travel a Path Full of Peaks…

In the wake of Gotham Knights, trust in WB Games Montreal isn’t what it used to be. The Batman: Arkham series proved superheroes could thrive in modern video games, and the studio contributed to that success with Arkham Origins, but live-service skepticism is higher than ever, and WB Montreal is still burdened by the failure of Gotham Knights. Now that the studio's next DC game has been inadvertently revealed, fan speculation has stirred some excitement, but the only thing players know for sure is causing major disappointment.

Job listings have confirmed that WB Montreal is making a live-service DC title. In the wake of critical and commercial disasters like Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, even the least cynical fans can see this as a repeat of past mistakes and a clear disconnect between what players want and what executives are determined to fund. There are still reasons for DC fans to be intrigued by what’s coming next, but if WB Montreal’s new game is going to succeed, it may have to do so in spite of itself.

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By Jared Stewart

WB Montreal and DC’s Past Failures Still Loom Large

WB Montreal's Gotham Knights collapsed under its technical issues, repetitive gameplay, and underwhelming narrative. Only two years later, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League followed suit with its own missteps, dragging Rocksteady’s once-unblemished reputation into the mud. These back-to-back missteps made an already clear message even louder: the live-service era is over, or at the very least, it’s evolved beyond attempts like this.

Two failed attempts to pivot DC gaming into the live-service arena should have been enough to warrant a course correction. Player sentiment has been clear that the genre is best experienced in narrative-driven adventures, and live-service models reduce these characters to stat sheets and loot grinds. It’ll be difficult to find success with these elements intact, but considering the recent plans for DC at large, it’s not necessarily impossible.

A Teen Titans Game Provides A Glimmer of Hope

If a live-service approach is inevitable, there may be some hope in the form of the co-op Teen Titans game. With Gotham Knights behind it, Teen Titans could allow WB Montreal to continue refining the team-based gameplay that it had already established. Its characters have interesting abilities that invite experimentation with combat powers and team compositions, and the Titans also have a less serious dynamic and a range of stories that may mesh better with the studio's current writing sensibilities.

The Teen Titans Could Provide Hope for WB Montreal

WB Montreal has undergone a noticeable stylistic shift since Arkham Origins, though even that title leaned heavily on the visual and tonal foundation laid by Rocksteady’s Arkham series. Gotham Knights' strongest moments embraced a lighter tone. A property like Teen Titans would align far better with the studio’s strengths, while being even more narratively flexible, with stories that range from Trigon-level threats to street-level scraps.

The Live-Service Trap Still Seems Unavoidable

The requirements of a live-service title make the potential reality of this hypothetical game even harder to conceptualize, though. The best live-service games are ones that inherently work because of that model, and Teen Titans still seems like it would be something that has to retrofit live-service elements.

Indeed, battle passes and time-limited events tied to Raven skins or Starfire emotes will not necessarily make a Teen Titans game any more compelling.

The DC properties adapted so far have simply not complemented the live-service treatment. Gotham Knights was heavily criticized for its shallow gameplay loop, and Suicide Squad never managed to justify its always-online requirement. Without major design overhauls, the same systemic problems are poised to surface again.

DC Cinematic Universe Synergy Could Make an Impact…

Then again, one major wildcard could offer the potential game an edge: the upcoming Teen Titans film in development at DC Studios. James Gunn has stated that future games might tie into the new DC Universe. While still a distant prospect, the movie's development could introduce a synergy between DC's games and its cinematic universe that could elevate the narrative stakes of both.

If this game were to be part of that wider continuity, it would actually give WB Montreal a reason for live-service elements, by way of deeper engagement across mediums. Character arcs established in the film could continue or branch off into in-game content released post-launch. New players drawn in by the movie might carry over their interest into the game, giving it an extended lifespan. It’d be a first for this kind of multimedia fusion in earnest.

…but a DCU Connection Could Also Make Things Worse

Tying the game’s fate to a film in development could just as well create another point of vulnerability for WB Montreal. A movie production is prone to delays and shifting studio priorities, and game development timelines are only getting longer and less malleable. If the two are intertwined and the film stalls, the game could lose its direction or be forced to retool late in development. Relying on outside factors for game development is rarely sustainable, and studios already often suffer under the weight of internal dependencies. Additionally, a rushed release could destroy any goodwill a decent title might manage to build.

Worse yet, if executives push for a synchronized launch to maximize marketing synergy, the game could be rushed to meet a deadline it was never built for, and have its launch plagued by technical issues.

WB Montreal’s Next Game Hardly Faces Great Expectations

Given the news, WB Montreal stands at a crossroads, and the path forward is as treacherous as it is full of potential. For fans, a new DC game is reason enough to be cautiously optimistic, but the live-service model certainly creates a cloud over that optimism. If Teen Titans is indeed the property at the center of this effort, and the studio manages to successfully adapt the IP, there’s a genuine opportunity for redemption here. But, that redemption is predicated on more elements than the studio has ever juggled before.

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