A few days ago, Kotaku broke a story claiming that developer Rocksteady Studios may be revealing the next Batman Arkham game. Rocksteady’s last release, Batman Arkham City, came out in 2011; and since then, they have been quiet about their next project. Many were unsure if it would be another Batman game or if the studio would move onto other properties. Especially since, 2013s Arkham Origins was developed by Warner Brothers Games Montreal; while the third entry debuted to fairly positive reviews, it did not get the glowing accolades of Rocksteady’s previous two entries.
Now, Kotaku reported that GameStop stores received new promotional materials for a Batman game; and though the banners and posters could be for Arkham Origins’ downloadable content, all the facts point to a new entry in the series. For instance, Dutch journalist Jan Meijroos visited Rocksteady Studios for a press junket in early February; however, an embargo prevents him from speaking about this event until the beginning of March.
This time frame is coincidentally similar to when GameStop will allegedly hang up the new banners: “the week of March 3rd.” On top of Meijroos visit, he tweeted a picture of the Studio with the comment “I’m not allowed to talk about it for a month. I guess next month’s GI cover is a given?” The GI refers to Game Informer, which is GameStop’s gaming magazine; and coincidentally, the magazine that debuted Batman Arkham Origins on its cover last April.
Now, supposedly Rocksteady will make an official announcement soon, but that did not stop Warner Brothers from trickling out more information on the alleged entry. Yesterday, IGN broke the story on the game’s speculated main villain; the official Batman: Hush Facebook page, which is run by Warner Brothers, posted a picture of the said notorious villain with the caption “Remember a little appearance by somebody in Arkham City? Well things may be abut to get more interesting next month…”
Will the Supervillain Hush be the main villain?
Hush, or Dr. Thomas Elliot, is a serial killer known for his cunning, wealth, marksmanship, and chameleon ways. And though he only played a small role in Arkham City, these characteristics make him the perfect antagonist for Batman. Also, Batman is lucky enough to have one of the best rogues gallery in comics; and it is necessary for the video games to move away from the iconic Joker, who played a hefty role in all three titles.
Again, until Rocksteady makes the official announcement, this is only speculation; but it would not make sense for a Warner Brothers controlled Facebook page to lie about product details. So if the previously mentioned dates are any indication, be prepared for Rocksteady’s Batman announcement within the next week.