WB Games Might Bring Back the 5 Canceled Superhero Games

Games about superheroes have been getting more popular. Big games like Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and future games like Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra show how powerful the genre can be when done right. But for every great launch, some projects were shelved that could have changed the way superhero games are made. Some failed because of greedy businesses, others because of financial crises, and still others just gave up because of the difficulties of growth.

Today, we're going to talk about five canceled superhero games and rank them by how they might have affected the industry and how likely it is that a company will bring the ideas back to life one day.

#1 Project Sabbath (WB Games Montreal)

After Batman: Arkham Origins did so well, WB Games Montreal had big plans for the years 2016 through 2019. The secret name for their next project was Project Sabbath, and it would have taken people back to Gotham City, but not as a copy of Arkham. The game stood out by taking place in a world separate from the Arkham series and focusing on a different Batman.

Playing as Bruce Wayne would not have been allowed. Instead, players would have been Damian Wayne, Bruce's son and former Robin, who took over as Batman when Bruce stopped. Early concept art showed a Gotham in the future, a remade Batcycle, and Damian's sleek new Batsuit, all of which made me think of Batman Beyond.

Characters like Huntress and Killer Croc were promised to appear in the game, and veteran voice actor Josh Keaton was even hired to play Damian Wayne. The idea was canceled after only a few recording sessions, which was a shame. Instead, WB Games Montreal switched to Gotham Knights, but it wasn't as good as they thought it would be.

Even though Rocksteady is working on a different DC project right now, a new Batman game is said to be in the works. If it's true, some parts of Project Sabbath, especially the future setting, could still have an effect on the future of the series.

#2 Constantine (WB Games Montreal)

Before director James Gunn changed DC's plans for movies and video games, WB Games Montreal was trying out projects that weren't set in Gotham. One of them was a game about John Constantine, the sarcastic, heavy smoker who hunts demons.

Constantine has been a fan favorite DC character for a long time, especially since Keanu Reeves played him in the 2005 movie and later in episodes of The CW's Arrowverse. The Montreal version was intended to be a single-player journey filled with dark magic and supernatural dangers. It never got past the early stages of creation, which is too bad.

Reports say that WB executives thought Constantine wasn't a big enough name to anchor a successful game. This was a short-sighted decision that revealed the company's overall poor performance. This "safe bet" mentality led WB to cancel several unique projects while investing a significant amount of effort into games that ultimately underperformed.

Because Constantine doesn't play a big part in DC's current movie world, the character probably won't be the main character in a game anytime soon. Fans of DC heroes who are magical will hate this one.

#3 The Flash (WB Games Montreal)

Last but not least, the most painful cancellation was The Flash. There were several superhero projects in the works at WB Games Montreal. After canceling Constantine, they moved forward with a game based on Barry Allen. Since The Flash was a huge hit on The CW for nine seasons, it seemed like the right time.

Then there was Ezra Miller's rough Flash movie, which did not do well at the box office. Instead of separating the character's history from one bad film, WB execs ended the game because they thought fans wouldn't be interested. It was a strange choice, since people have always loved the character in books and on TV.

It was said that the Flash game would have fast-paced movement and a story-driven campaign, which could make superhero games even better. Instead, it was thrown out along with many other DC projects.

But there is a small bit of hope. WB Games Montreal has said that they are indeed making a new DC game. The company hasn't said which hero will be next. However, fans are still hoping that Barry Allen will finally get the attention he deserves.

These kinds of canceled projects show how the game industry is torn between companies that want to be creative and those that don't want to take risks. Many promising titles have died not because of a lack of ideas, but because of choices made in the boardroom. For example, WB didn't want to back characters like Constantine, and EA had to cut costs.

Still, people want fantasy games more than ever. Developers may bring back these rejected ideas if Spider-Man 2, Wolverine, and Rise of Hydra do well. Fans can only imagine what might have been until then—the Batcave of unrealized promise is still very big.

After Cliffhanger Games, EA, and Factor 5 axed their plans to develop and release the two games listed below, WB Games may decide to pick up the slack.

#4 Black Panther

EA's deal with Marvel, which was announced in 2022, offered three superhero games, one of which would be a single-player Black Panther game made by a new studio called Cliffhanger Games. There were high hopes because the staff came from Monolith Productions, the company that made Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and the groundbreaking Nemesis System.

A report said that Cliffhanger wanted to make something similar to the Nemesis mechanic, where enemies had their own personalities, memories of past battles, and growing rivalries. Players could have been T'Challa, Shuri, Killmonger, or T'Challa's son Azzuri in the fight for Wakanda's throne and to stop the Skrulls from taking over.

Concept work showed how beautiful the game would look, but there were problems with development. It was hard to start from scratch when making a new company and the Nemesis System at the same time. Four years of pre-production were wasted, and EA finally gave up. The decision was said to have been made by CEO Andrew Wilson, who wanted to cut costs after poor sales of sports games.

The cancellation hurt even more because Cliffhanger's team had already left Warner Bros. when another Nemesis-driven project was canceled. They also gave up on their backup plan, which was to make a Wonder Woman game using the same tech. The studio closed down completely. Warner Bros. owns the patent for the Nemesis System until 2036, so fans may never see what it can really do.

Still, Black Panther will be back in Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra next year, and EA says it will still make all three Marvel games. Wakanda's story may still be going on.

#5 Project Blue Steel

Few superhero games that were never made are as well-known as Project Blue Steel, a big Superman project from Factor 5. The game was being developed since the mid-2000s to give fans the authentic Superman experience they had been wanting for decades.

Unlike the lackluster Superman Returns tie-in, Project Blue Steel was based on the huge fights in the comics and Justice League Unlimited that shook the city. The game featured a huge, destructible open world filled with formidable villains, including Doomsday, Darkseid, and Livewire, who posed a significant challenge as real obstacles.

But the time was terrible. Just as work was picking up speed, the 2008 financial crisis hit. This caused both Factor 5 and its publisher to shut down. Still, internet sneak peeks of concept art and gameplay give us a taste of what might have been the best Superman game ever.

Fans may not have to wait too long, though. Undefeated Genesis, a follow-up to the independent Superman game coming out next year, will have open-world superhero action. In the meantime, James Gunn has hinted at new DC projects, such as the idea of putting David Corenswet's Superman into video games. People still want to fly through Metropolis.