'Gotham Knights' is Absolutely a Soft Reboot of the 'Arkham' Series

Are WB Montreal Creating Their Own Bat-Verse?

By Alex Burns 

When WB Montreal finally revealed their new Batman game, Gotham Knights, at DC Fandome, a lot of folks naturally assumed that the events of the story would follow on from the dramatic ending of Arkham Knight.

Warning! Spoilers for 'Batman: Arkham Knight' incoming...

It's a reasonable conclusion, as Bruce Wayne is pretty much presumed dead and buried at the end of Rocksteady's 'Arkham Knight'. Following a final showdown with the Scarecrow, Batman's secret identity is revealed to the entire world, prompting the dark knight to initiate "The Knightfall Protocol". This contingency plan destroys Wayne Manor with our hero inside, closing the entrance to the Batcave forever.

Or so it seems.... a final scene of a mugging in Gotham's Crime Alley shows a seriously spooky bat figure still prowling the city protecting the innocent. The ambiguity and debate that followed this ending has largely shaped the narrative of where the Arkham series could go next for the last 5 years. Did Batman really die?  Is he using Scarecrow's fear toxin now? Is someone else wearing the cape and cowl? So many questions, so little games!

Fast-forward to 2020 and WB Montreal release the debut trailer for Gotham Knights and it causes some confusion. Bruce Wayne opens the cinematic trailer with a video message to his allies explaining how he is 100% dead and that it's now up to them to protect Gotham City. After this initial reveal and following some conflicting theories posted on social media, WB Montreal stepped in to clear up the uncertainty and confirmed that Gotham Knights is absolutely NOT an Arkham game. 

Later on in the DC FanDome event, Rocksteady Studios revealed their new title, 'Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League' and casually throw in the news that this new DC game will in fact follow continue the story of the 'Arkham' series.

So what does this mean for Gotham Knights? Well, from where we are standing, this looks like a tactical move by WB Montreal to continue garnering interest for a new batman series, without sacrificing the aesthetic and thematic ties to the hugely successful Arkhamverse. At a glance, the story events of this game, look like they follow directly on from Arkham Knight and how that game implied that Robin, Nightwing and co. would be the ones protecting Gotham now, as there may or may not be a Batman around.

This approach also gives WB Montreal the freedom to explore new story branches and not feel restricted by what Rocksteady do with their 'Arkham' series in 'Suicide Squad'. After all, the last time, WB Montreal took a step into the Arkhamverse with 'Batman: Arkham Origins', it didn't manage to live up the lofty standards set by the Rocksteady titles.

'Gotham Knights' looks like a fresh entry into the seriously saturated Batman franchise and I'm all for a game where the sidekicks take centre stage. With the dark knight out of the picture, we can really get a sense of what makes how Nightwing and Robin deal with losing their mentor, how Batgirl handles being back in the cape and cowl after recovering from her paralysis and just where anti-hero, the Red Hood stands in all of this. Also don't bet against the caped crusader making a return... DLC anyone?

What do you think though? Are you excited by a new Batman universe in games, or would you have preferred a traditional sequel or that another hero was given the spotlight? Let us know in the comments below!

'Gotham Knights' is set for release in 2021 on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X

Hey awesome reader, if you dig Batman, especially the Arkham games, you may enjoy our Batman: Arkham Asylum Retrospective. Feel free to have a listen below! The Ace World Videogame Podcast discusses everything in the world of gaming with new episodes available every Tuesday, subscribe and never miss a beat!

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