The founders and director behind the Batman: Arkham series at Rocksteady Studios have announced their departure from the company. For more than a decade, Rocksteady has been one of the most beloved developers in the video game industry, primarily thanks to its work on Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City, and Batman: Arkham Knight. And prior to the studio’s next major release in 2023 with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, the founders of the company have announced that they won’t be sticking around to see its launch.
In a lengthy new letter posted to Rocksteady’s website today, studio heads Sefton Hill and Jamie Walker announced that they would be leaving the company that they helped grow at the end of this year. Both Hill and Walker helped found the studio all the way back in 2004. Hill, specifically, has served as the creative director on every major project that Rocksteady has released. This move is pretty shocking, to say the least, especially since Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is expected to launch early next year.
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“With Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League nearly finished, they have both decided to leave Rocksteady at the end of 2022 and will begin a new adventure in gaming. We have the utmost respect and gratitude for Jamie and Sefton and wish them all the best in their new endeavor, and like many fans, we look forward to what they do next,” said a statement from WB Games head David Haddad on the matter.
“Our decision to leave Rocksteady was emotional to say the least!” said Hill and Walker in a joint statement. “From the day we founded the company in 2004 all the way to today, Rocksteady has been our life and soul. It has given us the opportunity to do what we love most: make great games with exceptionally talented people. We are so proud of the team here for the games we have all made together, from our first game Urban Chaos, to the much-loved Arkham series, and now the epic Suicide Squad.”
While it remains to be seen what Hill and Walker might do next, the fact that both are leaving Rocksteady together suggests that they may go on to co-found another developer. As for Rocksteady, Haddad mentioned that the company is poised to still see great success in the future due to its veteran team. To that end, Nathan Burlow will now seve as the new Studio Director while Darius Sadegian will be promoted to Studio Product Director.
Are you surprised to hear about this move at Rocksteady? And do you believe that this change will have any impact on Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League? Let me know either down in the comments or message me on Twitter at @MooreMan12.
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