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Report: Warner Bros. Was Aware Of Severe Batman: Arkham Knight PC Problems Before Shipping
While console players have been happily freeing Gotham from Scarecrow and the Arkham Knight, PC gamers haven’t been quite so lucky. That version has been riddled with various technical and visual problems.
According to Kotaku, WB Games’ quality assurance (QA) team flagged many of these issues during development. Those employees, who shared their accounts under condition of anonymity, suggest that the problems facing end-users are the same ones raised by testers prior to shipping.
Kotaku’s sources also allege that the game was tested at 720p, below the common minimum of 1080p that most PC gamers expect. Additionally, the Batmobile reportedly caused framerate issues during pre-release testing. Users have evidenced a link between using the vehicle and a significant dip in performance.
WB Games removed Batman: Arkham Knight from Steam and other storefronts after Rocksteady admitted the problems with Iron Galaxy’s PC port. There is no fixed timeline on when the game will be fully repaired (one patch has since been issued) or when it will be relisted for purchase.
We’ve reached out to Warner Bros. for comment on the report. We’ll update should we receive a response.
[Source: Kotaku]
Our Take
The entire Kotaku report is worth a read, as the site’s sources delve deeper into how externally developed ports are handled. Last fall, I wrote an opinion piece about broken games. I continue to believe that developers and publishers must stop pumping out broken games. Those with money in hand would do well to learn from these situations, too. At least Steam’s refund policy has helped a number of people in this instance.
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