Home Gaming Warner knew about Arkham Knight’s poor PC port months ago

Warner knew about Arkham Knight’s poor PC port months ago

3 min read
68

Arkham Knight PC port was known to be bad

Arkham Knight is a technical marvel on consoles. Whether you’re on Xbox One or PS4, the framerate is incredible, the details are plentiful and Arkham Knight is the righteous romp through Gotham that Rocksteady’s swan song deserves. The game on PC, however, is the complete opposite. The outsourced port is so bad that Warner Bros. felt the need to pull the game from sale a day after launch – even though they knew it was bad months ago.

A report published by Kotaku details how the publisher apparently knew months in advance that the PC version of Arkham Knight was just not up to scratch, but chose not to delay it because it was apparently “good enough”. This laid back, fix it later approach to big AAA launches have become a common practice over recent years, but two unnamed employees at Warner Bros. detail how blatantly the publisher didn’t care for one of their three markets.

An anonymous QA tester explains how Rocksteady struggled for months with performance on consoles, which was the primary reason for the numerous delays the game endured.

“Getting it to work on consoles was impossible for months. That’s part of why the game got delayed so many times, they were totally unprepared for how hard it was on next-gen consoles.”

It is also the reason the PC port was subsequently outsourced, with Warner Bros. wanting Rocksteady to rather focus on both consoles as lead platforms. The QA team, the source continued, at one point consisted of 100 members. Only 10% of them were testing the PC version. Despite the small size, thousands of bugs were reported – all pertaining to the same issues that the game suffered from (and is still plagued with) at launch.

“We reported literally thousands of bugs that were specific to the PC version relating to the frame rate. All sorts of f****d up texture issues. The Batmobile in particular has always f****d things up on PC.”

Things got worse still. According to a second source close to the game’s production, all testing on PC was done at 720p – a much less demanding resolution than the 1080p standard which a large majority of PC gamers play at. To compound things further, Arkham Knight was never tested on a large array of hardware either. It’s common for developers to send their games to large firms in order to conduct these stressful tests, but Arkham Knight was held back in fear of leaked story tit-bits.

It’s a menagerie of issues that all exponentially compounded to create the meagre port many poor consumers had to suffer with at launch. And it’s not the first time Warner Bros. has landed in terribly hot water over a PC Batman title either. The publisher is notoriously known for choosing to focus on DLC rather than pushing out fixes for game breaking bugs in Arkham Origins – bugs which still prevent players like me from completing certain side quests.

It was a similar scenario earlier this year too with Mortal Kombat X – yet another Warner Bros. title that shined on console but had a below par, outsourced PC Port. There is, however, one fundamental difference that separated that disaster from this one. Just three weeks before Arkham Knight launched, Valve revealed a brand new, no questions asked refund policy for any games bought via Steam. With it, disgruntled customers could get their money back within 14 days – with Valve retaining the service fee and publishers forced to cough up the difference.

So let’s just imagine how much Warner Bros. was losing on launch day. Suddenly the yanking of Arkham Knight from stores seems far less noble, and a lot more desperate.

The most despicable part of all this is that, regardless of how accurate these sources are, Warner Bros. knew in some capacity that Arkham Knight wasn’t ready for launch on PC, and yet saw fit to do it anyway. It’s been the first real test for Valve’s powerful policy, and so far Arkham Knight has made one thing crystal clear. PC gamers aren’t prepared to be exploited by expensive, shoddy products, and now they have the tools to deal with it.

Last Updated: July 2, 2015

68 Comments

  1. Wow….
    …. What do you think WB would’ve done if there were no Steam refunds? Gamers have voices now. The days of releasing shoddy PC ports are over. Disgusting, and don’t think for a second they’re the good guys for doing the ‘right’ thing and pulling it from Steam. If they cared about gamers this would not have happened in the first place. Sad that such a great game will be remembered for this 🙁

    Reply

    • Kromas,powered by windows 10.

      July 2, 2015 at 08:10

      Yeah the Steam refund system has finally given gamers the power to reject crappy ports and/or cash grabs.

      Reply

      • kuuu(UMAR)rrrr

        July 2, 2015 at 08:13

        One should not have to jiffy an ini file to get it working. Crazy….Gamers voices are finally being heard and that is only because companies are gonna lose money from them now. Just shows what pubs think of us.

        Reply

        • Kromas,powered by windows 10.

          July 2, 2015 at 08:17

          Now if only i could get a refund from Ster Kinekor for Indiana Jones I would be content.

          Reply

          • kuuu(UMAR)rrrr

            July 2, 2015 at 08:23

            lolz 😀

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      July 2, 2015 at 08:15

      No. It’s EXACTLY what it needs to be remembered for. THIS is the problem with AAA games. You’d think after the disastrous 2014 games releases publishers would learn. It’s been “haha we’ve got your money, you can’t do anything” from AAA publishers (mostly on PC) for YEARS. And if people complained about it they’re “whiny” and “entitled”. Well guess what publishers… FUCK YOU. We can get our money back now.

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        July 2, 2015 at 08:17

        YES!

        Reply

      • kuuu(UMAR)rrrr

        July 2, 2015 at 08:18

        True, it’s sad though in terms of the game itself. You can clearly see how much love was put into the game’s world and little details, but yes you’re right, it should serve as a lesson. It’s sweet sweet justice though. Steam refunds are good for all platforms, pubs can’t just release games in any state they want anymore. This is great for the industry, if they don’t wanna release a good, working game in good faith then gamers shall force them to do it!

        Reply

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          July 2, 2015 at 08:55

          And just yesterday we had that dick Peter Moore talking about “we don’t make them release games before they’re ready”. EA’s pulled exactly the same stunt as WB before. Sigh. Way to ruin a decent game.

          Reply

        • Nathaniel

          July 2, 2015 at 12:04

          This is great for the industry because it forces companies to not release unfinished games. Hopefully WB will get this eventually (after losing enough money) and won’t do this ever again. We’ll see.

          Reply

      • MakeItLegal

        July 2, 2015 at 08:41

        I Concure

        Reply

        • Admiral Chief's Adventure

          July 2, 2015 at 08:52

          *concur

          Reply

          • Lord Chaos

            July 2, 2015 at 08:52

            Well… clearly WB need to find a cure…

  2. Alien Emperor Trevor

    July 2, 2015 at 08:10

  3. Admiral Chief's Adventure

    July 2, 2015 at 08:13

    Pathetic, totally pathetic.

    You will NOT even get a Steam special sale from this Admiral. I’d ONLY pick this up on a Humble Bundle and donate ALL to charity

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      July 2, 2015 at 08:14

      But the game was developed by charity

      Reply

  4. Hammersteyn

    July 2, 2015 at 08:14

    Yet people still buy day one games PC games
    http://i.memeful.com/media/post/WwlrbpR_700wa_0.gif

    Reply

    • kuuu(UMAR)rrrr

      July 2, 2015 at 08:15

      Urgh, I want that cat for cuddles!

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief's Adventure

        July 2, 2015 at 08:33

        I want that cat on toast

        Reply

        • Rock789

          July 2, 2015 at 08:37

          o_O

          Reply

        • kuuu(UMAR)rrrr

          July 2, 2015 at 08:37

          lol WHOA….Admiral getting dark on us!…..

          Reply

          • Dutch Matrix

            July 2, 2015 at 08:50

            Dark? That is borderline devil worship right there! Where’s Rodney Seale????

          • Admiral Chief's Adventure

            July 2, 2015 at 08:51

          • Lord Chaos

            July 2, 2015 at 08:55

            There’s a difference between “on” and “in”.
            *Obligatory That’s what she said.

          • Admiral Chief's Adventure

            July 2, 2015 at 09:09

            Bowchikkawowow

        • kuuu(UMAR)rrrr

          July 2, 2015 at 08:37

          lol WHOA….Admiral getting dark on us!…..

          Reply

    • Captain JJ Browmehn

      July 2, 2015 at 08:38

      Aw kitty

      Reply

    • Captain JJ Browmehn

      July 2, 2015 at 08:38

      Aw kitty

      Reply

  5. CuddlesaurusRex

    July 2, 2015 at 08:16

    And once again Corporate Douchebaggery and the quest for profit has ruined and disgraced what should have been an epic product.

    Reply

  6. HvR

    July 2, 2015 at 08:21

    Mmmmmm, should I buy the next WB game?
    http://replygif.net/i/757.gif

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      July 2, 2015 at 08:22

      Mad Max? Definitely! And if it’s broken get a refund. Refunds has really bit WB in the ass.

      Reply

      • kuuu(UMAR)rrrr

        July 2, 2015 at 08:24

        Sh- that game does look pretty rad.

        Reply

        • Hammersteyn

          July 2, 2015 at 08:26

          It does! I hope it’s at least half as good as the movie

          Reply

          • Dutch Matrix

            July 2, 2015 at 08:27

            Then if you ask my fiance, that would be the crappiest game of them all! It will make Aliens: Colonial Marines look like The Witcher 3 in comparison.

          • Hammersteyn

            July 2, 2015 at 08:29

            O_o

          • kuuu(UMAR)rrrr

            July 2, 2015 at 08:28

            Honestly…I think it will be…If Mordor is anything to go by.

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        July 2, 2015 at 08:50

        That’s a WB game? Damn, I’m going to miss it. 😉

        Reply

        • Hammersteyn

          July 2, 2015 at 09:16

          hahaha

          Reply

  7. Hammersteyn

    July 2, 2015 at 08:27

    I still like WB, despite all this. Still holding thumbs for a Feakazoid game.

    Reply

    • Dutch Matrix

      July 2, 2015 at 08:28

      Freakazoid you Hammer Moered Moron!

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        July 2, 2015 at 08:29

        Disqus is broken again

        Reply

        • Lord Chaos

          July 2, 2015 at 08:42

          Maybe you should buy some productivity… 😛

          Reply

          • Hammersteyn

            July 2, 2015 at 08:50

            hahahaha or a proof reader

    • Admiral Chief's Adventure

      July 2, 2015 at 08:30

      Oh for FEAK’s sake Hammer

      Reply

    • Deceased

      July 2, 2015 at 12:14

      To the top with you 😀

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        July 2, 2015 at 12:41

        XD

        Reply

  8. Bagel

    July 2, 2015 at 08:30

    Any Praising i gave wb before this article is now redacted. Fuck you wb.

    Reply

  9. Rock789

    July 2, 2015 at 08:32

    Queue the riots (and I’m actually being serious with that statement!).

    Reply

  10. Captain JJ Browmehn

    July 2, 2015 at 08:34

    Suck it WB

    Reply

  11. Dark_Kitarist

    July 2, 2015 at 08:35

    Wow… I’m soooo surprised…

    Reply

  12. Dark_Kitarist

    July 2, 2015 at 08:35

    Wow… I’m soooo surprised…

    Reply

  13. MakeItLegal

    July 2, 2015 at 08:40

    “The publisher is notoriously known for choosing to focus on DLC rather than pushing out fixes for game breaking bugs in Arkham Origins – bugs which still prevent players like me from completing certain side quests”. – thank god i still havent purcahsed this , ps thats pretty rude , consedering a new batman game has been released and the old one hasnt even been fixed , plus they still sell the broken game FFS

    “PC gamers aren’t prepared to be exploited by expensive, shoddy products, and now they have the tools to deal with it.”

    I wish i could get a refund on AC unity , really i do , i really really do

    Reply

  14. Greylingad[CNFRMD]

    July 2, 2015 at 08:46

    It’s funny, you know, how, especially with WBs’ budget, do you just say, “ag it’s okey man, let’s not worry about these PC guys, they’ll just get a patch to fix it later” and then never work on it, secondly, they worked on their DLC before they had a working game…. Who does that? certainly you’ll focus your main team on getting every version up to scratch, even if it means another delay…. Good on Steam though, still charging the service fee, let them pay for providing a half arsed version of the game…. Bastards….

    Reply

    • Ir0nseraph

      July 2, 2015 at 08:54

      I do wonder if WB will learn their lesson from this and release a full working game from now, or just stop releasing new games on steam.

      Reply

      • Dutch Matrix

        July 2, 2015 at 08:55

        Coming soon: Warna-Play

        Reply

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          July 2, 2015 at 08:57

          Honestly, that wouldn’t surprise me.

          “Hey, do you think we should release properly working games on Steam from now on?”
          “Fuck no! We’ll make our own platform like Origin or Uplay – make the suckers buy it there!”

          Reply

          • Greylingad[CNFRMD]

            July 2, 2015 at 09:04

            I’m sure that if they try, they’ll probably give up halfway because it won’t work properly, that, or they won’t be able to compile the code for a library manager….

      • The Sten

        July 2, 2015 at 09:09

        This is my concern too. If its the latter then this is a deeper burn for the PC gamers like myself.

        Reply

  15. The Sten

    July 2, 2015 at 08:48

    So what you’re trying to say is that they knew, and they didnt…

    warn….a…….brother?

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief's Adventure

      July 2, 2015 at 08:50

      *slow clap*
      AND an upvote

      Reply

    • kuuu(UMAR)rrrr

      July 2, 2015 at 14:07

      Hahahaha High Five!!!!

      Reply

  16. VoidWalker

    July 2, 2015 at 09:08

    I think they’re trying to kill pc gaming. That’s the only explanation for why they would do something like that.

    Reply

  17. Remi St Clair Abrahams

    July 2, 2015 at 09:14

    they are pathetic. If only my MKX was refundable

    Reply

  18. Viking Of Science

    July 2, 2015 at 09:51

    God Damnit Sandy, 30FPS is not “incredible”

    Reply

  19. sigma7

    July 2, 2015 at 10:10

    It’s really a bad decision on their part to outsource the PC port. Considering how smooth it runs on PS4. I’m playing it on PS4 and i’m surprised how technically proficient this game is, well at least till now lol.

    Reply

  20. Nathaniel

    July 2, 2015 at 12:02

    They could have just delayed the PC version for another 2-3 months and make it perfect. Why they didn’t is beyond me. I understand they are in it for the money but what they did now with a release of something they knew had problems just proved they are not that bright – instead of making more money, they lost a lot of it and will now have to invest more in fixing it plus the bad rep they got.

    Reply

  21. oVg "I hate Portals" - Geralt

    July 2, 2015 at 12:24

    Thanks to STEAM allowing refunds they cant get away with crap anymore. The consumer is slowly winning their rights back.

    Reply

  22. Sovereign

    July 2, 2015 at 13:45

    Very happy about the refund policy. Shame on all companies involved.

    Reply

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