The Batman: Arkham series is one of the best selling and arguably one of the most critically acclaimed franchises in the entirety of the DC Universe. It makes sense that Warner Bros. Interactive would want to keep The Dark Knight in the spotlight and many wonder how a continuation of the series would be possible due to the very controversial ending of Batman: Arkham City.
Warner Bros. hinted at a new title back in January after registering Batman-themed domain names, and there have been rumors circulating that Rocksteady, the original Arkham series developers, won’t have a hand in the latest installment. After all, it was Warner Bros. Studios in Montreal and Burbank who were responsible for porting Arkham City to the Wii U (read our review)last year and if the latest job postings are of any indication, the Montreal developer may be behind the Batman: Arkham threequel.
Rocksteady will be busy working on the Silver Age/Justice League prequel set to release in 2014 and WB stated that the new Arkham title will release in 2013. “And we also have a strong games release this year, which will include the next release in the Batman Arkham franchise” says Time Warner CFO John K. Martin in their Q4 Conference Call.
Time Warner’s site posted new job postings for Warner Bros. Montreal, hinting at a coming release. Listings for a Producer and Creative Director indicated that prospective employees will “work with its game development team responsible for expanding the DC Comics universe in the interactive space.” Though with the hiring times and a potential fall 2013 release date, the job positions could very well be for future projects as well.
The studio’s senior producer Ben Mattes tweeted last week the following before removing it, hinting at a pre-E3 reveal:
“In just 2-3 months, our project will be announced (in grand fashion) and it’s going to be big!”
Though we don’t know what the game will be called or if it’s tied to Arkham Asylum and its successor, given all the information accumulated in the past weeks, we would bet that Warner Interactive’s new game is the third and perhaps final installment in the Batman: Arkham storyline. What setting will the game explore, and could the next installment take on the oft-speculated Batman: Gotham City title and offer the most open-world Batman/Bruce Wayne experience yet?
Do you feel that Warner Bros. Interactive will take the Arkham franchise in a new direction? What do you hope to see from a new Arkham game when it comes to its villains? Let us know in the comments below!
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