Batman Arkham Knight has been handed another delay. The release of the highly anticipated sequel and the epic conclusion to Rocksteady Studios’ Batman: Arkham trilogy is delayed an additional three weeks until later in June. It was not the greatest news to hear this week. Last year, Batman Arkham Knight had already been delayed almost a year to June 2015. The news about the latest delay is deflating and frustrating. Hopefully, the game will be that much better. However, the delay makes me wonder if Rocksteady could be rushing out a buggy and glitchy product to the shelves.
Other similar, major triple A game releases received some delays like this in 2014. Assassin’s Creed Unity got a delay of a few weeks, and so did the next-gen versions of WWE 2K15. Neither game was really the outstanding effort I hoped for. A delay of three weeks for Batman Arkham Knight could mean a lot of things. From an outsider’s perspective, the game delay is cause for concern. It makes one wonder if the next three months constitute enough time for Rocksteady to finish the game. Will three extra weeks really help the game attain a level of polish and balance that made Arkham Asylum and Arkham City such outstanding and brilliant gameplay experiences? I hope that is the case.
On the other hand, the announcement came from Rocksteady’s creative head and Batman Arkham Knight game director, Sefton Hill. Hill claimed that Rocksteady is “a developer that hates to make any compromises.” At least that is something. The announcement from Sefton Hill and Rocksteady indicates that the latest delay is the company’s way of refusing to make any compromises in the quality and integrity of the project. In other words, the delay is necessary to release a better game. Looking back, Batman Arkham Origins is certainly a game that probably could have used a delay to get some extra polish to work out kinks, bugs and glitches. If Rocksteady needs extra time, the company should definitely take it. However, the time frame raises some doubts. Is Rocksteady basically in a race to meet the deadlines of Warner Bros. Interactive? At the end of the day, Warner Bros. Interactive is still a subsidiary of Time Warner, a publicly traded company. The company is required to meet quarterly sales quotas.
I only voice these concerns because of previous disappointments from other big franchises. I have confidence in Rocksteady to deliver a great game, so I hope Arkham Knight does not disappoint. Batman Arkham Knight hits the shelves on June 23 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC.
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