It’s been teased for over a year now, but today we finally got confirmation that a new chapter in the Batman: Arkham video game saga is on its way — but it’s a whole new threat the Dark Knight is facing, which means it’s time to bring in backup.
Revealed at DC FanDome today after much teasing, Warner Bros. Montreal (the studio behind Arkham prequel spinoff Batman: Arkham Origins) is making a new game called Gotham Knights.
So, the bad news first: Bruce Wayne is dead. With his death rocking Gotham City, Batman’s allies and friends have to step up to protect Gotham City against a newly emboldened Rogue’s Gallery. Which includes the usual: gangsters, mobsters, masked baddies of all types. The trailer showcases Mr. Freeze. You know the drill.
The good news: This looks fantastic, with players able to take on crime as Nightwing, Red Hood, Robin, Red Robin, and Batgirl.
There’s also strong hints that this time around the Bat Family will be facing off against the mysterious Court of Owls, a secretive faction created by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo for their 2011 New 52 Batman run. The Court was a secretive, mask-wearing cabal of old Gotham families that secretly manipulated rule of the City from behind the scenes, planting agents in businesses and government offices to pursue their own agenda. When people threatened to get in the way of that powerful agenda — like, say, members of the Wayne family who like to go out at night dressed as bats — the Court would deploy its deadly, supernaturally enhanced assassin agents: the sinister Talon. So yeah, the Bat Family is going up against a lot in this one.
The panel included the trailer above as well as gameplay footage, which honestly looks fantastic, featuring action familiar to fans of the Arkham games with the addition of what looks like potential cooperative play and a level system, which sees different enemies (and, presumably, your heroes) gaining in level and power as the game goes on. The preview mission featured Batgirl and Red Robin checking out an awful ice storm created by Mr. Freeze, with support from Alfred and Renee Montoya (!).
Witness the first ever gameplay of #GothamKnights. pic.twitter.com/ALFZD3L0OK
— Gotham Knights (@GothamKnights) August 22, 2020
Batman: Gotham Knights is set to release on PC and Consoles in 2021.