Developer Monolith Productions has finally announced that Wonder Woman will have her own solo game, Warner Bros. confirmed nearly two years ago. The title hasn’t been mentioned since, and the only significant details we know about it are that it’s an open-world single-player game and that it uses the procedurally generated Nemesis system from Monolith’s Middle-earth: Shadow series.
However, a lead software engineer with prior expertise working on live-service games games like Fortnite or Destiny 2, where the action never ends was needed, according to a recent job offering on Monolith’s website. Instead, it features microtransactions and fresh, frequently seasonal content for years (or months). Even while it’s frequently used in multiplayer games like the ones listed above, several single-player games namely, contemporary Assassin’s Creed titles like Odyssey and Valhalla also use a similar system. Despite the fact that WB Games subsequently told IGN that the game was “not being designed” as a live-service release, many mistook the poster for a live-action Wonder Woman game.
David Zaslav, CEO of WB Discovery, stated that the company’s goal was to develop its largest brand into live-action films. To the annoyance of many, NetherRealm’s Mortal Kombat and Injustice series have operated like such for years.
This year has seen a significant decline in the popularity of live-service games, with several online games having their support terminated and being delisted in addition to a general decline in player dislike. However according to WB, there are still opportunities in this market: Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League appears to be another cooperative game with live service aspects, similar to 2022’s Gotham Knights.
Controversial Release and the Legacy of Kevin Conroy
Earlier this week, Rocksteady released a developer video for Squad. The main emphasis of the film was on the four antihero squad members Deadshot, Harley Quinn, King Shark, and Captain Boomerang, and how they were supposed to perform their assigned roles when an invading Brainiac took control of the League. The game’s 2023 release was marred by controversy; while it was initially scheduled for release this past spring, its appearances at online showcases were met with mockery since they had live-service mainstays like in-game stores, gear that differed somewhat in terms of quantity and status effects, and so forth.
This feels like a long cry from the company’s specialty, which is Batman: Arkham Games, which Squad is supposed to be a successor to. The studio is best known for its single-player Batman: Arkham games. It also doesn’t help that this game has the last Batman performance by the late Kevin Conroy, whose passing was commemorated one year ago this past week. Conroy’s performance will be lost if and when WB delists the game, with YouTube uploads being the only source of preservation.
Suicide Squad development delays Wonder Woman Announcement
Suicide Squad was postponed by Rocksteady back in April, but the developer diary says the game is still playable. A developer said that the game’s deluxe version includes a token for the in-game battle pass and that the firm plans to support it for many years to come. All of this casts the Wonder Woman announcement in a new perspective, and regardless of how good the game turns out to be beyond the fundamentals, it will undoubtedly be discussed in comparison to Suicide Squad or other superhero games that are in the works.
