Now that Warner Bros. has finally lifted the veil of secrecy surrounding Batman: Arkham Origins, fans of the Dark Knight can mark their calendars for the next time they'll get the chance to walk in his shoes (cowl?). Surprisingly the game isn't being developed by Rocksteady Studios, the team behind Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City, but Warner Bros. Montreal.

Set on Christmas Eve in Gotham City, Batman: Arkham Origins will be pitting Batman against eight elite assassins earlier in his career than ever before. The exact identities of the contract killers are still not officially announced, but the latest images of the game's cast prove that Batman's rogues gallery will be well-represented.

While Arkham Origins may be touted as a full-blown entry in Rocksteady's series, the rumors of a reported next-gen release are apparently false. So while visuals may not be the leap forward fans might have hoped for, that doesn't mean the gritty art style of the Arkham franchise won't be in full effect.

The screenshots incoming from Game Informer's exclusive coverage (courtesy of Nintendo Everything) show off a few familiar faces from both Arkham City and the comic book pages, most notably Black Mask and what appears to be a pre-monocle Penguin. Take a look:

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The accompanying artwork and screenshots for the PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS release, Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate - apparently set in Blackgate Prison - offer somewhat of a mixed bag.

Possessing a clearly distinct art style from the rest of the Arkham series, those portable gaming fans who were hoping to see visuals in keeping with Rocksteady's excellence may be in for a bit of a disappointment. Take a look:

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We'll hold off judgement on both Arkham Origins and Blackgate until more of the game is shown later this month, but for now, it's hard not to feel like the announcement that Arkham fans are waiting for is still coming - for those who haven't been paying attention, we're referring to Rocksteady's rumored Silver Age Batman adventure.

Warner Bros. has every right to extend the success of Rocksteady's series into additional side projects (and Batman fans should be excited for a well-funded game regardless), but using the name 'Arkham Origins' continues to annoy us. Since the game ostensibly has absolutely nothing to do with Arkham Asylum, the branding is clearly just to grab consumer attention. If that is the case, and the game does little to expand upon Arkham Asylum or Arkham City, then the attachment of 'Origins' to the already misleading title is baffling.

We'll judge Arkham Origins on its own merits, and see just how much potential is in place at Warner Bros.'s new Montreal studio. What do you think of the classic enemies on hand for the game? Will you keep your expectations in check since Rocksteady isn't behind the game, or will you be holding it to a similar standard?

Batman: Arkham Origins will be available on Wii U, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and PC October 25, 2013.

Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate will be available on Vita and 3DS October 25, 2013.

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Follow Andrew on Twitter @andrew_dyce.

Source: Nintendo Everything