When WB Montreal were contracted to develop a prequel to the highly successful Batman: Arkham franchise, it seems that they were initially very apprehensive about being Rocksteady successor, according to a recent interview.
By now, the most die-hard Batman gamers have already sank their teeth into Batman: Arkham Origins, but unfortunately, I am currently out of town and will have been gone prior to the arrival of my own copy, which sits somberly somewhere in my house, alone. Therefore, you guys will probably be able to judge with proper justification just how close to (or far off) WB Montreal was to the mark.
Although the folks at WB Montreal seem confident with their product now, there was a point in time in which they faced this gargantuan, nearly insurmountable task with immense trepidation. Think about all of our initial reactions to the announcement of the game? I know I was pretty damn vocal about my own disapproval and doubt regarding the project. It just seemed like a recipe for disaster. No Rocksteady. No Kevin Conroy. No Mark Hamill. No Paul Dini. And to top it all off, it was a prequel. To say the least, I had little faith in the project.
Unfortunately, our disapproval rang loudly within the halls of WB Montreal, causing much doubt and apprehension, according to a recent interview with senior producer, Ben Mattes. Mattes said:
“Obviously resistance and reluctance exists at every level. There were fans who said: ‘They’re not Rocksteady, they can’t make an Arkham game.’ And there were concerns within the organization that we weren’t going to be able to deliver the special sauce of a Rocksteady game.
And there were concerns within our team, like – ‘Maybe we’ve bitten off more than we can chew? Are we sure we’re able to dance with these guys? Do we deserve to be in this same hallowed ground?’ – but we wouldn’t have continued through the years if we didn’t feel we had a shot. I’m really proud of what we’ve done.”
As with most success stories, they’ve managed to use that doubt to fuel them into creating something that looks to be able to stand up-to-par with the previous Arkham games. They refused to allow themselves to ruin a beloved franchise. All their hard work would eventually payoff , as they began heavily marketing the game. With each new piece revealed, each reaction was more positive than the last.
It’s inspiring to see how much pressure WB Montreal was under to create a worthwhile addition coupled with all the mistrust and reservations that fans expressed and to see how much they’ve won us over throughout the last few months.
So… with all of this being said, what do you guys think? Did WB Montreal deliver a satisfactory successor to the highly coveted Arkham franchise? Or did they actually bite off more than they chew and successfully ruined the franchise? Let me know.
Source – Eurogamer