The Batman family just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Fans knew that the experience offered with Batman: Arkham City was going to be bigger than Arkham Asylum in almost every way, but seeing rumor turn into fact never gets old. Over the weekend it was revealed that Nightwing would be playable in the Challenge modes of Arkham City, and now some concept art and rendered screenshots have made their way online giving fans a look at how the character will be brought to life by Rocksteady Studios.

It's been evident for a while that the follow-up to Arkham Asylum would be departing from the type of lonely, singular narrative so often employed for Batman stories. Since the announcement that a playable Catwoman would be bringing a major shift to the feel of the game's campaign, the cast of characters has grown and grown.

Now both men who have claimed the 'Robin' moniker are set to help out Bats in Arkham City's Challenge Modes, with an extended look at Robin gameplay released just hours ago. Not to be outdone, Dick Grayson a.k.a. Nightwing has now appeared in a series of in-game screenshots and concept artwork.

The images come from Portuguese forum zwame.pt, and although the images feature a Nightwing that may be less polished than the final version, they do show what type of style the development team has chosen. Take a look:

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We should point out that these images have not been confirmed as official, and may simply be the work of a particularly dedicated Batman fan. But considering the amount of leaked Arkham City details that have made their way online before announcement, we have to think these are the real thing.

In that case, it's a relief to see that the developers at Rocksteady haven't reinvented the character of Nightwing as dramatically as they did Robin, as he still bears the standard look of the comic book character. And with more than a few potential designs to choose from, the final product shouldn't enrage many fans. Whether it's the choice to go with medium-length hair instead of short or a long ponytail (we can hear the cries of 'emo' already) or the muscled-but-not-armored costume, Nightwing looks to fit alongside Rocksteady's Batman perfectly.

We still await an official confirmation of Nightwing as a DLC character and some gameplay footage, so pouring over these screenshots will have to do in the meantime. We're particularly interested to hear about Nightwing's approach to combat, and if it will differ from Robin's martial arts and gadgets.

What do you think of the design? Does it fit with your own vision of Nightwing, or would you rather the design have followed one of the other conceptual styles? Leave us your thoughts in the comments.

Batman: Arkham City will be released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 on October 18, and the PC on November 8. Exactly when both Robin and Nightwing will become available as paid DLC has yet to be announced.

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Source: zwame.pt (via arkhamcity.co.uk)