Batman Arkham Origins Comic Con Panel

At Comic-Con 2013 the developers from WB Games Montreal were on hand to show off Batman: Arkham Origins, the next iteration in the Batman franchise. However, despite being part of the overarching Batman franchise, this is the first game in the series not developed by Rocksteady Studios. In attendance were Creative Director Eric Holmes, DC Comics' Geoff Johns, Troy Baker (the new voice of The Joker), and Roger Craig Smith (the new voice of Batman).

We've already touched upon the panel's biggest official announcement — Copperhead as the latest villain added to the roster — but there were a few teases that might increase fans' anticipation for the game. We suspect a few of the teases are planned for bigger announcements later this year, but now we have some idea as to what to expect.

The first interesting tidbit from the panel was in regards to co-op in the game, which Holmes was very cagey about. When asked if at some point in the game players would be able to team up with another character for some type of cooperative experience, Holmes responded with the look of someone prepared to dance around a topic.

He wouldn't confirm or deny that co-op is in Batman: Arkham Origins, he responded by saying that if co-op was in the game that would be something to be excited about. At one point it was rumored that Batman: Arkham City might feature co-op with Batman and Robin, but that never panned out. Instead, Robin (as well as Nightwing and a few other notable Batman cronies) was offered as a playable character for the challenge rooms in the game.

Batman Arkham Origins - Batgirl Teased

So, with co-op teased it almost seemed a given that Robin be the other playable character, or at least appear in the game. However, Eric Holmes confirmed that Robin will not be in the game. In order to better explain that decision, Holmes revealed that this is Batman at "year two" in his career, so Robin (Dick Grayson or another incarnation) has not yet entered Bruce Wayne's life. But even though he doesn't have his most iconic sidekick, that doesn't mean Batman will be alone in the game.

In fact, one question asked by a fan in attendance specifically addressed whether Batgirl or Robin might appear in the game. And while, as previously mentioned Holmes nixed Robin outright, he wasn't as dismissive about Batgirl. Instead, he kept relatively quiet, which could be a roundabout way of saying that she is in the game but Warner Bros. is not yet ready to make that announcement.

In any case, the panel left us with two potential teases that might increase Batman fans interest in Arkham Origins. The teases might also be nothing - live Q&A sessions are always about smoke and mirrors - so there's no guaranteeing that Batgirl or co-op are in the game.

We also don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but when asked about a potential Batman Beyond game Geoff Johns simply said that DC Comics looks at all of their brands for potential game opportunities. With a Batman Beyond movie potentially on the horizon, there's a good chance that Warner Bros. could try some sort of tie-in, but until the official announcement is made we are filing this one deep in the bowels of the rumor category.

What do you think? Should Batman: Arkham Origins include co-op? Would you like to see Batgirl in the game? And should DC and Warner set their sights on a Batman Beyond game in the future?

Batman: Arkham Origins releases October 25, 2013 for the PC, PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U.

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