After years of speculation and months of teasing, Warner Bros. Montreal's new title has finally been revealed. It's called Gotham Knights, and while at first glance it looks like it is set after the events of Batman: Arkham Knight, WB Montreal has confirmed that it's not connected to the Arkham games and is instead a completely original setting in the Batman universe. It tells the story of a family forced to rise up in the absence of their mentor.
With the co-op support combined with a new story, this could end up as one of the best Xbox games available. Here's everything we know so far about Gotham Knights.
What is Gotham Knights?
Gotham Knights was revealed with the premise that Bruce Wayne is (ostensibly) dead and with that, a new protocol has been enacted, requiring the Bat Family to take action in Gotham against villains like Mr. Freeze and the mysterious Court of Owls. You can check out the reveal trailer below.
Gotham Knights is being developed by WB Montreal, a studio at WB Games that previously worked as a support studio on the Batman: Arkham games, in addition to leading development on Batman: Arkham Origins.
It appears this game is an original Batman setting that isn't connected to the Arkham games, despite several seeming similarities in how the story is set up. Instead, the official continuation of the Arkham games is found in Rocksteady Studios' Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
Gotham Knights story
In Gotham Knights, Bruce Wayne appears to have died. With Gotham's protector gone, the Bat Family is forced to come together against the villains who now seek to conquer the city, such as Mr. Freeze and The Penguin. The Court of Owls, a secret society, seems to have even darker ambitions though, providing the core mystery behind the game.
There's a saying about the Court of Owls, a nursery rhyme that gives an idea of the true horror wielded by this group:
Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time, ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and lime. They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed. Speak not a whispered word about them, or they'll send the Talon for your head.
We got a new story trailer for Gotham Knights at DC FanDome 2021 that goes into the Court of Owls, the Penguin, and more. This trailer almost leans into something of a horror vibe, giving the sense that the Court of Owls is a truly unknown horror, a secret society unlike anything the Bat Family has tried to take on so far. You can check out the trailer below:
Gotham Knights gameplay and features
Gotham Knights is a third-person action RPG that can be played solo or in 2-player co-op. So far, the roster consists of Robin, Red Hood, Batgirl and Nightwing. Each of these characters has their own progression, allowing them to unlock new abilities and skills. They all play differently, with a variety of advantages and disadvantages. The developers have also teased that as players grow stronger, their foes grow stronger as well.
At the reveal of the game, a few minutes of gameplay footage were shown, which you can see below.
In co-op, players don't have to choose different characters, meaning if you want, you can have a team with two Batgirls or two Nightwings. With that in mind, the difference in playstyles means that players may benefit more from mixing and matching different combinations of characters instead of just doubling up.
Players will need every edge available in taking on the Court of Owls, as WB Montreal reveals there are multiple classes of Talons, the warriors of the secret society, from scuttling, crawling assassins to hulking, hammer-wielding enforcers. Each poses a unique threat and will require a different strategy if you hope to stay alive.
The developers shared more gameplay footage in 2022, revealing how different character can play in completely different ways by harnessing their unique abilities:
Gotham Knights playable characters
So far, we know of four playable characters in Gotham Knights. Right now, we know for sure that players will be able to take up the mantles of Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing, and Jason Todd. It's not technically impossible that there are other characters being kept a secret, but we'd say it seems unlikely, and certainly these four are clearly the main focus for the game.
Batgirl is Barbara Gordon, daughter of police commissioner Jim Gordon. Robin is Tim Drake, the newest hero to wear the mantle of Robin. Nightwing is Dick Grayson, a former Robin who struck out to defend Blüdhaven. Jason Todd is the original Robin, a hero beaten to death by the Joker before being resurrected.
They all play very differently from one another, with unique skills that can be improved and abilities that can be unlocked as players progress through the game, as well as unique gear and suits themed after iconic comic runs.
Does Gotham Knights have crossplay?
Unfortunately, crossplay will not be supported in Gotham Knights at launch, according to an official comment from the developers. We're hoping that this will change in the future, as it would allow friends to play together across platforms, which is a big deal for a game that supports co-op like this.
Gotham Knights preorders
Preorders for Gotham Knight are now live, with multiple different editions of the game available depending on what kind of extras you're interested in.
When is the release date for Gotham Knights?
Gotham Knights is currently slated to be available on Oct. 25, 2022. Gotham Knights was originally scheduled to release at some point in 2021, but like many games, ended up being delayed into 2022 due to the ongoing pandemic affecting development. After that, we went several months without a firm release date. When it arrives, it'll release on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PS5, and PC.
Gotham Knights was previously a cross-generation game, meaning it was in development for Xbox One and PS4 as well. These versions have been dropped, with the developers saying that this decision was made to deliver as high-quality of an experience as possible.
