In the "Story" series, we will learn about the secrets of game studios, from simple beginnings and big dreams, to overwhelming successes and bitter failures. We will review how these studios were formed, how they faced challenges and obstacles, and how some of them ended tragically while others continued to become legends in the world of games. Without further ado, prepare your cup and get ready to discover the secrets of the industry from the inside. Welcome to my world where stories intertwine with creativity to form the greatest games of the era. We will start with the story of Rocksteady.
One of the brightest studios in the world of this industry, it has presented us with a series that is almost perfect in terms of story and art in the past decade. The difficulties and challenges it faced, from its peak to its near end. Let's get to know the developer studio behind the Dark Knight series:
1 | The humble beginnings of Sefton Hill
In November 1973, Sefton Hill was born in the United Kingdom. He was successful in his studies and passionate about the world of games, which prompted him to enter university in 1991 and graduate in 1995. After graduating, he joined Argonaut Software, a British studio founded in 1982 that specialized in developing games. Although the studio did not achieve great fame, it was the starting point for one of the best game directors in history, as Hill joined the studio in 1996 and quickly showed his dedication and became popular among his colleagues.
2 | Argonaut Studio Crises
The studio suffered from multiple crises starting in 2000, including financial crises and the failure of several games, although "Sefton Hill" was not responsible for these crises, but he was working hard to overcome them. The studio was working under the umbrella of the famous Eidos Interactive company, which was responsible for the "Tomb Raider" series. In 2004, Eidos decided to officially close Argonaut, which ended "Hill's" journey with the studio.
3 | The birth of Rocksteady and a new beginning
In the same year, "Hill" and his friend "Jimmy Walker" decided to establish a new studio under the name Rocksteady, where some former Argonaut workers joined Rocksteady, which added an atmosphere of harmony to the new team, as work began on the studio's first game in September 2004, where the development process continued for two full years.
4| Rocksteady's first launch
Urban Chaos was released on May 19, 2006, a first-person shooter game, published by Eidos. The game achieved good commercial and technical success, paving the way for the studio to launch the Batman Arkham series.
5 | The Birth of the Dark Knight Series
Before talking about it, it was supposed to be just one game to coincide with the iconic movie The Dark Knight, developed by Pandemic Studios and published by EA, but due to EA's financial problems, which amounted to one hundred million dollars, they were unable to finish the game before the release of the movie. After that, WB, which owns the rights to Batman, assigned the game to Eidos, which in turn commissioned Rocksteady to develop the Batman game.
6 | Batman Arkham: Asylum Development
The actual development process began in May 2007 with a different idea from the Batman movie. The studio hired Mr. Paul Dini, one of the most famous writers in the DC universe, to write the story of the game. It is also interesting that one developer was tasked with working on Batman's mantle alone for two years, which added a unique touch to the game.
Many elements were also inspired by great game series, such as the dark world of Bioshock and the integration of weapons from the Zelda series. The fighting style was also developed in several stages to become a fully interactive style.
7 | Impressive success and the road to the top
The game was announced in 2008 and was completed in early 2009. The game was released on April 25, 2009, and achieved great success as it won the admiration of players and critics alike. The game also received a rating of 92 from Meta Critic, and sold about 9 million copies worldwide. This success prompted WB to acquire a percentage of the studio.
8 | Rocksteady's Peak to Completion
Work on the next part began eight months before the release of the first part, as it was initially planned for the series to consist of only two parts, but the great success from the artistic and commercial side prompted them to continue with a third part, and the studio faced challenges in moving from the hospital to the city, as it was supposed to move to Gotham City or Arkham City, as Arkham City was designed in a completely demolished manner.
9 | A qualitative shift and a good ending
The development process of this part began, like its predecessor, shortly after the release of "B. A: City," with new challenges such as moving from Arkham to Gotham, and adding the car, and the studio also faced difficulty in replacing the iconic Joker character, which prompted them to resort to "Geoff Johns," one of the most famous writers in the DC universe, to create a new character, "Arkham Knight," and the development process lasted for three and a half years, which is the longest development period in the history of the series.
This part was released on June 25, 2015, and achieved commercial success, selling 7 million copies and receiving a rating of 88 from Metacritic, however, it did not receive the same great admiration from critics and players as the previous parts.
10 | Complete acquisition by WB and inevitable failure
After the complete acquisition by Warner Bros, the studio's freedom outside the DC universe was reduced, which led to the exit of both "Sefton Hill" and "Jimmy Walker" and the studio floundered between long periods of inactivity and not releasing new games.
In early 2024, the Suicide Squad game was released, but it failed miserably, which led to huge losses for WB and the thought of closing the studio, perhaps this great failure may write the end of Rocksteady, however, its impact on the gaming world will remain immortal.
Post a Comment