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Rocksteady Studios today announces its returns as developer of the next Batman: Arkham<\/em> title, closing out the studio’s trilogy later this year in Batman: Arkham Knight<\/em><\/a> for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. So now we know what Rocksteady has been up to since finishing Arkham City<\/em> and passing development of Arkham Origins<\/em> off to Warner Bros Montr\u00e9al. (As if it was some well kept secret.)<\/p>\n

Upgrading to the new console hardware promises to make Batman: Arkham Knight<\/em> “the most expansive, impressive title in the series.” Yes, that means a fully realized open world Gotham City to protect from evildoers and, for the first time, a drivable Batmobile. You go, Bats!<\/p>\n

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The story setup revealed so far sees Scarecrow and a host of other super villains like Penguin, Two-Face and Harley Quinn returning to Gotham to destroy Batman and take over the city once and for all. But that’s all Rocksteady is giving us for now.<\/p>\n

My only slight reservation at this point is the fact that, judging by the announcement trailer, the visual style and overall atmosphere seems to have shifted away from the comic book approach of the previous games to a darker, more realistic style similar to Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight<\/em> movie trilogy. That’s not a bad thing in and of itself, but it does sort of break series continuity.<\/p>\n