Rumors of a new Batman game have been going around for what seems like forever at this point. It doesn’t help that developer WB Games Montreal has only been adding to the speculation with no definitive answers as it has been teasing the next Batman project for several months on Twitter. Even though rumors are nothing more than that, some reports of alleged leaks recently have started to paint a picture of a game that actually seems rather exciting.
Batman games weren’t as popular or as heavily anticipated as they are today and this change is primarily owed to Rocksteady Studios which redefined what a Batman game could be after the release of Batman Arkham Asylum in 2009. WB Games Montreal, Rocksteady’s sister studio, alternatively released Batman Arkham Origins in 2013 during which Rocksteady was busy at work on Batman Arkham Knight.
Since then, fans have been eagerly anticipating the next game from WB Games Montreal which will be the first full Batman Arkham game in five years (or longer depending on when the game comes out). WB Games Montreal has also been teasing symbols from Court of Owls for quite some time now indicating that a game set during that particular Batman story-line is more than likely.
New Batman Rumors
A big rumor to come out recently was one from Geeks WorldWide which claimed that the newest game from WB Games Montreal is going to be a soft reboot of the Batman games that started on the PS3 and Xbox 360 generation. This is supposedly meant to kick off a new video game DC universe. The rumor also backs up the idea that the new game is based on Court of Owls, but it also divulges some information on some elements of gameplay.
The leak suggests that the new Batman game will feature a playable Bat family, meaning that WB Games Montreal is expanding on some scenarios of the previous Batman Arkham games like where the player is able to play as Catwoman or Nightwing. It’s taking this idea further by having a whole group of Batman’s allies playable. The leak also says that the game will feature online cooperative multiplayer which will presumably have players fighting together as members of the Bat family.
Speaking of the Bat family, the leak (along with some other notable rumors) suggested that WB Games Montreal had a previous Batman project in the works which was ultimately canned in favor of this new project. The former project supposedly revolved around Damian Wayne, Bruce’s son. If the studio was more interested in making a multiplayer focused title this time around, it makes sense why it scrapped the Damian Wayne idea then.
If it did scrap it, another rumor suggests that the studio didn’t scrap everything from the Damian Wayne game. The same Geeks WorldWide also claimed that the Batcycle, a tricked out motorcycle reminiscent of the one from The Dark Knight, would be recycled from its original project for this new Batman game.
Imagining a New Batman
If the rumors end up being true, then the new Batman game from WB Games Montreal is going to be huge in scale. The idea that a Bat family will be playable in Gotham City with Court of Owls running around likely means that there will be significantly more characters in this game than in previous entries in the franchise.
The Batman Arkham games had players control Batman when he is mostly by his lonesome. Besides the supporting cast of characters, players really only interact with Batman and random street thugs. This new game, however, would have several playable superheroes, the Court of Owls, and the League of Assassins. All three of those groups are comprised of dozens of members combined meaning it’s going to be a packed Gotham City, especially if players’ friends are able to join in.
Multiplayer would be an entirely new concept to the mainline Batman Arkham series. There are so many ways this could be implemented within the context of Court of Owls. One way would be to have a mission structure similar to that of Metal Gear Solid 5 where players prepare in advance of a mission by picking gear and character which works well for multiplayer. Another would be to follow the structure of Marvel’s Avengers which reportedly has certain characters being playable during certain sections.
The Batcycle would be the most significant addition to the series since the open world in Arkham City. Although the Batmobile was a good mechanic in Batman Arkham Knight, it ultimately overstayed its welcome with its repetitive tank missions and such. The Batcycle however, would be a better version of the Batmobile. Due to its size and mobility, the Batcycle will presumably allow the player to zip through the city faster and more efficiently than before. In tandem with the grappling hook, players would be flying around the city faster than ever before.
A new Batman game is rumored to be in development at WB Games Montreal.