This news may come as a disappointment for fans who were anticipating some of these titles. The publisher, Warner Bros. Games, has announced that they will not be showcasing some of the games that have been previously rumoured and teased.
Games that will not feature during the Warner Bros. E3 2021 event include Gotham Knights, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and Hogwarts Legacy. Sadly, Warner Bros. will be revealing no new updates, trailers, or launch dates during the publisher’s event. This announcement came as part of an official statement from a Warner Bros spokesperson ahead of their online showcase.
The good news is that the representative noted that the publisher would be focusing their time slot on another much-anticipated title. Back 4 Blood—the successor to Left 4 Dead in all but name—will be heavily featured during the online press conference held virtually on June 13th.
Previously the official Twitter for Summer Game Fest also commented similarly on June 5th. They mentioned that there wouldn’t be a separate event for Back 4 Blood and the Warner Bros. Games showcase, that they would be a combined presentation. “There is not a separate event,” the tweet said.
This corroborates the new statement for the focus of the Warner Bros. event to be almost exclusively on Back 4 Blood details.
The three games from Warner Bros. that aren’t getting updates during E3 are all set for a loose 2022 release. Hogwarts Legacy was initially planned for launch early this year, but in January 2021, it was delayed for developers to continue work on it. This was apparently to “give the game the time it needs”. Probably a wise move, with Harry Potter fans hyped for its eventual release and expecting a lot from the publisher.
There will be an understandable amount of disappointment at the lack of updates on Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. This game is another addition to the critically acclaimed Arkham series. It’s set in Metropolis as an open-world, dark and gritty setting. This game will be the first in the Arkham series that will not include the Batman character. Players will instead be able to swap between different canon characters like Deadshot and Harley Quinn—being able to explore and get involved with the new storyline.
On the same theme, Gotham Knights will not feature Batman as a playable character either. It follows the adventure of the much-loved group of heroes, including Batgirl, Red Hood, Nightwing and, of course, Robin. The game follows on from the death of Bruce Wayne with the group protecting the dangerous streets of Gotham and continuing the legacy of Batman.
In other news, Warner Bros. Games is splitting up as a company. A merger was announced between Discovery Inc. and Warner Media. It’s not yet been announced which studios under Warner Bros. Games will stay with WarnerMedia parent company AT&T and which will convert to the newly created merger company. It’s unlikely the E3 event will divulge any news regarding this but expect more details over the coming weeks and months.
