The successor to the Batman Arkham series from WB Games Montréal was slated to release later this year. However, according to Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, the game needed a bit more time, which prompted them to delay it to 2022 instead of releasing it this 2021. With this announcement, Gotham Knights now join the likes of Hogwarts Legacy in a growing list of games delayed from their initial 2021 release dates.
Is The Delay Bad News for Gotham Knights?
Gotham Knights would have been the latest game in the Batman Arkham franchise. However, it’s important to take note that it’s being worked on by a different studio. Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, and Arkham Knight were all developed by Rocksteady Studios, which is also a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Meanwhile, Gotham Knights are being developed by WB Games Montréal, who previously worked on Batman: Arkham Origins, which was not well-received.
— Gotham Knights (@GothamKnights) March 19, 2021 Gotham Knights is set in a Batman-less Gotham City. After the apparent death of the caped crusader, his four foremost sidekicks, namely Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, and the Red Hood, all work together to bring Gotham back in order. Each playable character in Gotham Knights will have a specific style of gameplay and will have access to their own unique skills. It’s also a single-player game but with multiplayer elements. Specifically, players will be able to jump into other player’s games in a two-player cooperative multiplayer mode. After it was first revealed in August 2020, players were excited to finally be able to play another Batman game. However, it seems like we’ll have to wait a while for that to happen. Even worse, the developers did not release a specific release date outside of the 2022 release window. All we have to go on for now is hope that they are taking this time to “deliver the best possible experience for players”.
What’s Next for Gotham Knights?
Not much is known about Gotham Knights as of the moment. Does it occur after the events of Arkham Knight? If so, it’d make sense. Technically, Batman did “die” in that game. We also learned that the Red Hood also returned as an anti-hero of sorts because of his own campaign made available via an expansion for the game. With that said, the initial reveal didn’t really leave us with anything. Is Batman really dead? If so, how? Why? Is the Court of Owls behind it? What role do they play in this game? Are they the main antagonists? So many questions and so few answers. However, while the postponed date is disappointing, the developers did promise that they are going to show more of the game in the months ahead. Hopefully, subsequent trailers will help shed a bit more light on the game’s story or what kind of game it’ll be. In other Batman news, players will be able to get their hands on a Batman skin in Fortnite via a tie-up event with a six-issue limited comic series known as “Zero Point.”
