DC FanDome is back for another round, and amidst all of the anticipated reveals and spotlights, one of the more highly anticipated projects was unquestionably Gotham Knights. The game has been radio silent for a bit but teases started picking up over the past month in preparation for FanDome, including teases of the Court of Owls and the various heroes in the Bat-family that players will control. Before the game could make its official appearance at DC FanDome, however, the trailer was leaked beforehand to give DC fans an early look at the game.
The leaked trailer can be seen below courtesy of one of several Twitter users who shared it after it surfaced online. Narration begins with someone talking about Batman and Gordon never having a handle on this city, and saying that you don’t have a chance. This is revealed to be The Penguin, who is talking to Nightwing about the Court of Owls and that they’ve controlled things behind the scenes for years.
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We then see Robin pick up a mysterious key, and Red Hood can be seen enclosed in some sort of cage as the floor drops out from underneath. We also see him battling some of the Owl’s forces when he falls to the ground.
We see some of the Court moving through walkways and the areas in which they meet. We get another glimpse of Nightwing and Batgirl too, and the latter is running away from horde of foes and leaps off the platform. We then see a massive opponent with a shield and large weapon jump down to battle Robin, and during the trailer we also see Batgirl wearing one of the Owl’s masks.
Gotham Knights will have players taking control of Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood, and Robin after the death of Batman, and in his absence, it will be up to them to defend Gotham from its deadliest threat ever, the Court of Owls. That said, that first trailer teased Batman might not be completely out of the picture, so we’ll have to wait and see how that plays out.
It was surprising to some that Gotham Knights was not part of the Arkham universe of games, and ComicBook.com previously had the chance to talk to Gotham Knights Creative Director Patrick Redding about the decision to keep it separate and start something new.
“Right. Well, I think it was an opportunity, in a way,” Redding said. “The Arkham series is amazing, and it really stands as this amazing opus that people love, and it’s a fantastic interpretation of the Batman lore. I think for us, we saw an opportunity, we were granted an opportunity, honestly, to start something new and take a fresh look at, not just the Batman universe, but the full range and scope of characters and heroes that have been part of that for so many decades, and then think about what kinds of challenges and threats we could unleash on the player if we were willing to change up one, two, or three key elements, including, as it happens, the protagonists.”
Here’s the full official description for Gotham Knights.
“Gotham Knights is a brand-new open world, third-person action RPG featuring the Batman Family as players step into the roles of Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood and Robin, a new guard of trained DC Super Heroes who must rise up as the protectors of Gotham City in the wake of Batman’s death. An expansive, criminal underworld has swept through the streets of Gotham, and it is now up to these new heroes to protect the city, bring hope to its citizens, discipline to its cops and fear to its criminals. Players must save Gotham from descent into chaos and reinvent themselves into their own version of the Dark Knight.”
Are you excited for Gotham Knights? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things Gotham Knights with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!