Rocksteady Announces Batman: Arkham VR

Rocksteady Studios, the game developers behind the award-winning and bestselling Batman: Arkham franchise, are asking fans to don Batman’s cowl and immerse themselves in Batman: Arkham VR, coming exclusively to PlayStation VR in October.

They’ve released a first-look announcement trailer for the game, which you can see below.

The franchise launched with Batman: Arkham Asylum in 2009, widely considered to have been the best video game adaptation of the Dark Knight up to that point. It was followed by Batman: Arkham City in 2011, Batman: Arkham Origins in 2013, and Batman: Arkham Knight in 2015.

During the course of the franchise, there were also a number of mobile games, including Batman: Arkham City Lockdown, Batman: Arkham Origins (mobile), Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, and Batman: Arkham Underworld.

There were also comic book tie-ins, novels, and an animated film — Batman: Assault on Arkham — that all tied into the world of the Arkham games. Batman: Assault on Arkham is also notable for introducing a version of the Suicide Squad to non-comics audiences that bears more than a passing resemblance to the one seen in the upcoming live-action film.

Arkham Knight was said to be the last console game in the franchise, although fans have hoped for — and rumors have swirled around — the idea of more to come since even before that “finale” was available for sale. When Arkham VR was announced via Twitter (see above), a number of fans expressed disappointment that it wasn’t a traditional console or PC game.

Batman: Arkham VR immerses players into the Dark Knight’s universe as they experience Gotham City through the eyes of the World’s Greatest Detective. Delving deep into an all-new Batman: Arkham mystery, those who enter this virtual reality world must think like Batman and utilize his legendary gadgets to unravel a plot that threatens the lives of his closest allies.

“Virtual reality is expanding the video game space and entertainment overall, so it is extremely exciting to have our incredible team at Rocksteady Studios dive into this new storytelling medium with the Batman Arkham franchise,” said David Haddad, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “Rocksteady is one of the best at creating story-driven content, and Batman: Arkham VR will deliver a more immersive experience than anyone could have imagined only a few years ago.”

“Rocksteady is always looking for new ways to further engross players into the worlds we create and Batman: Arkham VR is an example of how we’re taking advantage of the latest technology to do that,” said Sefton Hill, Game Director, Rocksteady Studios. “The team is committed to delivering a Batman experience that stays true to the character and allows players to fully immerse themselves in the role of the World’s Greatest Detective.”

There’s a lot of video gaming news coming out of E3 this week; besides Arkham VR, Batman will star in a new serialized game from Telltale Games, the trailer and voice cast for which were released yesterday.