Batman: Arkham Knight might just be one of the most anticipated games of the summer, with a vast open world that features a driveable Batmobile for the first time ever in the Arkham series. The game was released on June 22 for PS4, Xbox One and PC, but the PC version became the subject of extreme backlash.
The game was met with many performance-related issues. Mere hours before the release of the game, the company adjusted the minimum system requirements, and added that AMD cards were known to be experiencing performance troubles. This turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg.
One of the first things users discovered is that the game has been capped at 30 fps. This is easily adjustable in an ini file, but why put people through that? It's hard to believe that there's any justifiable reason to limit people with top tier hardware to such a low frame rate. Most PC gamers don't even consider that playable. In addition to the frame rate limits, Arkham Knight suffers from frame stuttering and extremely low performance on even some of the highest end GPUs, with some people claiming single digit frame rates.
Warner Brothers tried to appease users quickly with a statement explaining what the minimum and recommended specs are and what performance they're intended to deliver. Minimum spec hardware, which is listed as a Core i5-750 or AMD Phenom II X4, with an Nvidia GTX 660 or AMD Radeon HD 7950, is very high compared to other games, and yet with this setup you should only expect to get 30 fps at 720p with all settings on low.
It gets worse though. Recommended specs include an Intel Core i7-3770 or an AMD FX-8350 paired with at least a GTX 760 (with at least 3 GB of memory -- that GPU only comes in 2 GB or 4 GB versions, so that effectively means you need the 4 GB version). There is no AMD option in the recommended specs at all.
Many gamers don't have anything close to the above, and a system with this kind of hardware would cost multiple times what a current console is priced at, yet Rocksteady and Warner Bros. have targeted this hardware spec to match what the current consoles can do: 30 fps at 1080p, with normal settings. What's worse is that the PS4 version of the game supports ambient occlusion, but the PC version does not.
This explanation didn't go over well with the community. As of right now there are 9,590 customer reviews on Steam, and only 33 percent of them are positive. The extreme backlash the company has experienced has been a PR nightmare. All of the news about the game has been in regards to the PC port, and the company has reacted in a surprising, yet likely wise way.
Warner Bros. posted a public apology and discontinued sales for the PC version of Arkham Knight for the time being while the issues are worked out, suggesting that the game needs more than a single patch. The company went on to ask for patience as it addresses the issues, but pointed out options for refunds if desired.
Dear Batman: Arkham Knight PC owners,We want to apologize to those of you who are experiencing performance issues with Batman: Arkham Knight on PC. We take these issues very seriously and have therefore decided to suspend future game sales of the PC version while we work to address these issues to satisfy our quality standards. We greatly value our customers and know that while there are a significant amount of players who are enjoying the game on PC, we want to do whatever we can to make the experience better for PC players overall.Thank you to those players who have already given valuable feedback. We are continuously monitoring all threads posted in the Official Batman: Arkham Knight Community and Steam forums, as well as any issues logged with our Customer Support (support.wbgames.com). If you purchased your copy of the game and are not satisfied with your experience, then we ask for your patience while these issues are resolved. If desired, you can request a refund at help.steampowered.com (Steam refund policies can be found here: http://store.steampowered.com/steam_refunds) or the retail location where you purchased the game. The Batman: Arkham fans have continually supported the franchise to its current height of success, and we want to thank you for your patience as we work to deliver an updated version of Batman: Arkham Knight on PC so you can all enjoy the final chapter of the Batman: Arkham series as it was meant to be played.
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