WB’s Next Batman Game: Here’s What We Know So Far

It’s been a good while since we’ve seen a new Batman game on the market, with the last game in Rocksteady Games’ trilogy, Arkham Knight, performing admirably well for WB Games since its release a couple of years ago. That said, there have been some talks about WB Montreal, the creators of the underrated Batman: Arkham Origins, are hard at work on a new adventure featuring the Caped Crusader.

While official details haven’t been revealed yet – WB is currently keeping busy with releases like Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 and Middle-Earth: Shadow of War – a former employee previously spoke on Reddit about a game that’s currently in development over at WB Montreal, titled Batman: Insurgency. It’s one that could be quite the follow-up to Arkham Origins – if it in fact exists. (He provided a lot of detail in that Reddit, so we’d be surprised if it didn’t come to fruition.) We reported on it previously, without hearing official word since.

Now, take this with a grain of salt since WB hasn’t confirmed anything, but here’s what we know so far about the next Batman game, based on the information we’ve seen from the leak. If this comes true, we could be in for the Dark Knight’s biggest adventure to date. (Yes, even bigger than Arkham Knight.)

The Main Baddies

First up, we know that Batman has had his fair share of formidable foes in the past, like the Joker (who’s been the main star of the Arkham saga) and others like Riddler and Two-Face. But it sounds like, for the new game, we’ll be facing off against Owlman and the Court of Owls. It sounds like they’re responsible for a massive breakout between Blackgate and Arkham Asylum, resulting in the Gotham City Police Department closing off sections of the city so they can try to keep it as contained as possible. Specific plot points aren’t available, but, yeah, they have a serious vendetta against the Bat.

On top of that, we hear that the game will feature a number of familiar villains, including Riddler, Joker and Two_Face. But on top of that, we’ll see some odd faces as well, like Tweedledee and Tweedledum, Cornelius Stirk, Ventriliquist, Mad Monk, Blockbuster, Killer Moth, Dollmaker and Anarky, amongst countless others. It’s unknown if you’ll need to hunt them down one at a time, like in previous games, or just come upon them over the course of your journey to take care of Owlman, but we can’t wait to see where this goes…

A Batmobile For the Better

It was great to see the Batmobile get introduced in Arkham Knight, though some players were turned off by its tendency of being able to transform into a battle tank with the press of a button. They felt that, with the control set-up, it was just a bit weird. Fortunately, it sounds like WB Montreal is changing this for the better, with a control system that relies more on high-speed chases and using weapons like the power winch, missiles and an EMP device to bring them down. This can result in a play style similar to the Batman arcade title released by Raw Thrills a few years ago, where high speed pursuit is the name of the game. And we are down with that.

It’ll Have A Strong Build Off A Familiar Engine

The former employee noted that Insurgency will have something in common with Arkham Knight – it utilizes a similar game engine. That means you’ll be seeing lots of detail in the game this time around, as well as an explorable space that’s about the size of the three islands from that game. That said, there will be some touch-ups, mainly when it comes to the interior of some buildings. Batman will be able to go inside and check things out, and maybe do battle with opponents in terms of sneaking around, just like in the Challenge Rooms in previous games. It’s unknown just how many buildings you’ll be able to go into, but it’ll certainly add to the replay value as you hunt down hidden goodies, like the Riddler’s Trophies – if they return.

You’ll also be able to access the Batcave and Wayne Manor at any time, via fast travel, should you need to recharge or load up on intel. It never hurts to have a home base.

A Few Friendly Faces To Rely On

Batman won’t be taking on the adventure by himself, as Dick Grayson, taking the role of Robin, will also be playable in Insurgency, according to the employee. He’ll have filled this role for about two years by the time the game starts, so he has a good amount of experience to help Batman out, should the situation call for it.

In addition, the game will also involve Alfred and Lucius Fox as the main contacts in the game (no word on Commissioner Gordon, yet), as well as Barbara Gordon, who will help out on a few side missions. No word yet if she’ll be Batgirl or not, but it never hurts to have her tag along.

This, combined with all the villains included in the game, should really bring out a who’s who from the DC Comics universe…if it happens, of course.

Improvements To Combat

The notes from the former employee indicate that the game is going for more of a stealth/black ops style approach, similar to what the Challenge Rooms from previous games provided, so you can sneak around and get the jump on opponents.

That said, it won’t be a stealth game. There will be a reliance on this, but there will be combat as well, with correct button presses to avoid incoming attacks and setting up counters. However, it was noted that the system will be “more complicated,” indicating we could see more types of moves come into paly.

Finally, Dual Play mode will be back, and while the dual takedowns appear to be going away, we will get some “new special moves and combos” instead, as well as a new skill tree to build upon, with new moves and more. It sounds like it’ll be fun.

So, When Will We See It?

Now comes the big question – when will Batman: Insurgency actually be revealed to the public? Well, if it exists, Warner Bros. will more than likely save it for a big occasion.

It wouldn’t be beyond us if the company announced the game sometime in 2018, like during the Electronic Entertainment Expo. But it’s a pretty safe bet that we could hear about it by the end of this year, to build up for a potential release next year.

WB Games has done it before. Years ago, back when the Spike Video Game Awards were announced, the publisher revealed its first teaser trailer for Batman: Arkham City. With that in mind, The Game Awards 2017 and/or PlayStation Experience could be an ideal place to introduce the game, and get players excited for what’s to come.

We’ll see what unfolds in the months ahead. But, yeah, Batman, we need you back!