Article by Eric Lee
Warner Bros. Montréal finally announced their next video game project: Gotham Knights.
But Gotham Knights is not a typical Batman video game. Knights will focus on its main characters: Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, and the Red Hood.
At DC FanDome, Warner Bros. Montréal creative director Patrick Redding and producer Fleur Marty introduced the new trailer for the game.
The trailer opens up with Bruce sending a pre-recorded message claiming that he is dead. However, he is calling upon his allies to continue to fight for the Gotham City in his stead. Among the chosen ones are Dick Grayson, Robin, Barbara Gordon-sans wheelchair, and Jason Todd.
There is no word yet on which Robin is featured in the game. It could potentially be either Damian Wayne or Tim Drake.
But that is not all. The post-title stinger shows the main antagonist of the game: the Court of Owls! The Court of Owls make their appearance with all their comic-accurate traits. The creepy blank owl mask, Talon assassins, and a room with rows of coffins containing an army of Talons.
The villains have been teased in the past. There have been cryptic video clues and leaked concept art.
Gameplay
The panel also offered up gameplay footage for fans to get a taste of the combat system. The walkthrough highlights Batgirl and Robin battling their way through Mr. Freeze’s ice fortress. The gameplay footage ends in the middle of a duel between Batgirl and a jetpack- equipped Mr. Freeze.
Why ‘Gotham Knights’?
Redding briefly answered the question, why a Batman game that doesn’t focus on Batman? According to Redding, they wanted to see what Gotham would look like without Batman.
We wanted to shake up the status quo of Gotham City. We wanted to see what happens when you take away the safety of Batman’s presence and then find out what happens when these heroes [sic] have to step up and take on the role of new protectors of Gotham. You’re not trying to become the new Batman. You’re becoming your own badass superhero.
They have not announced an official release date yet. However, Warner Bros Montréal teased the game will hit systems in 2021.