The Next Batman Game 'Gotham Knights' Release Date, Story, Gameplay

When it comes to Batman in video games, there are some great titles to choose from. You can’t go wrong with the Injustice fighting games, the Lego Batman series, and the Batman: Arkham series. And from what we’ve seen so far, this next Batman game will also be a great title that we can look forward to.

Because instead of Batman being the main character, the game will put a spotlight on the Bat-family. Here are all the details for the upcoming game, Gotham Knights.

The game’s premise is simple: Batman is dead and the Bat-family protects Gotham in the wake of his death. Batgirl, Robin, Red Hood, and Nightwing team up to fight popular villains such as Mr. Freeze and the secret Court of Owls group. Throughout the game, the four main characters will have to step up and work together if they want to save the city from the criminals lurking in the shadows. 

Although the members of the Bat-family are close with each other, they are vastly different due to their backgrounds and their connections to Batman. On the official Gotham Knights website, they give a synopsis of each character’s story. 

Dick Grayson was the son of acrobats who was taken in by Bruce Wayne after his parents died. Batman would eventually train him to become Robin, but as he got older, he decided he needed a new alter ego, thus becoming Nightwing. 

After Nightwing gave up the Robin moniker, Jason Todd was next in line to become the Boy Wonder. Unfortunately, things wouldn’t end well for Jason as he was brutally killed by the Joker. After being brought back to life, he took on the alter ego, Red Hood, to take care of Gotham’s crime problem in his way.

Barbara Gordon is the daughter of police commissioner, Jim Gordon, and is also known for her hacking skills. According to the game’s website, Commissioner Gordon is dead, so it’s up to Batgirl to look after Gotham.

The third person to take up the Robin mantle and the youngest character, Jason Todd is a detective through and through. One of his abilities is teleporting, an ability he acquired after hacking into the Justice League’s satellite. 

Unlike the other games previously mentioned, Gotham Knights is an action RPG. DC Universe Online is an online RPG that features many DC characters, including Batman, but besides that game, we haven’t seen the Caped Crusader or his family in this type of game before. So, what would an RPG that takes place in Gotham look like? Luckily, DC posted an official video on their YouTube channel giving us an extended glimpse of Gotham Knights’ gameplay. 

Patrick Redding, Creative Director for Gotham Knights, walks us through the action. In the video, we see Batgirl and Robin take on Mr. Freeze. The first two things that pop out are that Batgirl has a motorcycle that she can use to travel around the city, and the second is that a second player quickly and effortlessly joins the game session. Throughout the game, we see both heroes in action as they take on henchmen. 

An interesting aspect of the game is that players can choose how to play it. If your playstyle is to go in guns blazing, feel free to do so. If you’re the more stealthy type, you can go around sneakily to takedown henchmen. In the video, Redding also points out that characters can level up, which increases their stats, but he also points out that the enemies will also level up to match you. 

This next Batman game is being developed by WB Games Montreal, and they’re no strangers to Gotham. They first developed the Wii U version of Batman: Arkham City - Armored Edition back in 2012. They would go on to develop the game Batman: Arkham Origins, the prequel to the Batman Arkham series. 

On top of all that, they also developed DLC packs for Batman: Arkham Knight, two of these packs saw Red Hood and Batgirl become playable characters. With experience developing Batman, Red Hood, Batgirl, and Gotham itself, I think it’s a safe bet to say that Gotham Knights is in good hands. 

The Gotham Knights release date was originally meant for this year, but it has since been pushed back to 2022. With 4 playable characters, a campaign that’s solo or multiplayer, and an open-world Gotham, WB Games Montreal can take all the time they need to perfect this game. 

The next Batman game might not have Batman in it, but we’re excited to see what the Bat-family has in store for us. With so many great games coming out next year, Gotham Knights is one to keep an eye out on. 

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