Warner Bros. is making plans for more superhero games, best evidenced by a new studio in Montreal. This brand new studio is going to get working on both AAA games and casual online games.
“We’re definitely working closely with DC on different titles, yet to be announced,” said Warner Bros. Montreal studio head Martin Carrier. “It’s one of the reasons we talk to Geoff Johns and Jim Lee [the publisher’s head honchos] on a regular basis. It’s interesting for our geeky side to be in touch with those guys, especially now that they’ve relaunched all the 52 [comics]. It’s a good time to be working with DC. There’s so much energy going on there.”
Making a superhero game now means living up to the standard that Rocksteady has set with their Batman games; Carrier knows this because his studio has been founded to follow in the success of those games. “We realize how good a job Rocksteady did with Arkham Asylum,” said Carrier. “They changed people’s perceptions and that’s why we’re not satisfied anymore with sub-par superhero games. Now, it’s like they should be better than all the other games. So what’s their secret recipe ”
Carrier sees this new focus by Warner Bros. towards making games internally as a good one for both the studio and for gaming. “What’s positive is there’s a new-found respect for games. In 2007, Warner was just a licenser of [intellectual properties],” noted Carrier. “They didn’t think video games were important enough to have their own production studios. Now, it’s a case of, ‘Wait a second, this is a real entertainment business. We should have our own studios so we can really inject some quality into the products that get out there.’ To me, that was the message. It’s come into its own. How you make quality products is by working closely with production. There’s no barriers between us and them. We’re part of the same family, so it’s much more conducive to creating quality.”
Source: Canadian Business
