Report: Follow-up to Batman: Arkham City to be a prequel
Rocksteady is reportedly working on a prequel to the Arkham series, styled after the Silver Age of comics and detailing Batman's first meeting with the Joker.
Given the blockbuster success of its earlier efforts, it shouldn't be too surprising that Rocksteady is probably working on a follow-up to Batman: Arkham City. But despite its cliffhanger ending, the next game may take a break from those plot threads and go all the way back the Silver Age of comics.
Variety (via IGN) reports that the next game from Warner Bros and Rocksteady will be a prequel, detailing Batman's first encounter with the Joker. It's said to be styled more after the 1950s era comics, when Batman would often team up with other DC superheroes. It would be due in 2014 at the earliest.
This is reportedly part of a larger effort from DC to team up their characters across different types of media, from the newly relaunched Justice League comic book to the variety of superheroes in Lego Batman 2. All of this is to lay the groundwork for a Justice League film, especially after The Avengers was a hit at the box office.
This move could be a handy way to get around the difficulties of having Joker appear again, but the Arkham series created very stylized, dark versions of the characters. Depending on just how close Rocksteady hews to Silver age silliness, it may not please fans who are used to a more brooding Batman.
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replySteve Watts posted a new article, Report: Follow-up to Batman: Arkham City to be a prequel.
Rocksteady is reportedly working on a prequel to the Arkham series, styled after the Silver Age of comics and detailing Batman's first meeting with the Joker.-
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You should go and listen to the Fat man on Baman podcast with Kevin Smith. Mark explains that he didn't say he would retire, just that he is worried that if he does to much Joker people will no longer like him as the Joker.
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Perhaps they will do the prequel as the side story kinda thing, like the a "Liberty City Stories" kinda thing - then return to the full modern setting for a massive Gotham-size story. It could work.
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I'm mixed on this. I loved AA and AC, but I don't want a Silver Age prequel. Batman's mental and emotional state at the end of AC--and at the end of Harley's Revenge, which didn't move the story forward--left me eager to see how Batman would live in a world without Joker.
Also, enough with the Joker. I don't need to see ANOTHER interpretation of Batman's first meeting with the Clown Prince of Crime, or another Joker story--much as I love him--anytime soon. There are other villains. Batman has arguably the greatest rogue's gallery in all of comic book-dom. AC teased Azrael and several others. Give me a story about them, and about how Batman copes with Joker's death, instead of another story with Joker as the keystone.-
I would also mention that Mark Hamill retired from voicing Joker, but there seems to be some dissenting opinions on that. Even so, it's not relevant to my main point. Joker is awesome, but so are plenty of other Batman villains.
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Agreed, I was even disappointed that he played such a major role in Arkham City after he was the primary villain in Arkham Asylum. So many good Batman villains to use, come on guys! (Joker is of course awesome though)
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I was also disappointed, but not greatly so. I think Ra's and Hugo Strange were excellent picks for villains, especially since they're seldom used, and used well. I also thought the AC storytellers showed balls by (MAJOR SPOILERS for those who haven't played the game) killing off Strange and Ra's.
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Yes, let's get us a new main villain. Two games in a row of the Joker are enough for a while.
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I agree with you Steve. A brooding Batman is definitely better than a silver era Batman. I think that doing a different era Batman than the one that got us all hooked would be a HUGE mistake on their part. All the trust that Rocksteady has garnered with it's fanbase would evaporate.
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They basically already did. Same writer, same cast, just a different look and a tone closer to that of the comics'.
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blue and gray batman with bright red robin? NO THANK YOU
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I hope this report is only partially right, as in the next game will have the continuation of the Arkham universe, but also has flashbacks to the silver age they talk about here. They could cut back and forth during the storyline giving some more scope and detail to what's unfolding, ultimately what we see in the flashbacks relate to the confrontation in the modern day. (IE we see that Batman was responsible for the joker becoming darker and more sadistic than he began.)
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I thought that back in 2009, Mark Hamill said that Arkham City was going to be the last time he voiced the Joker.
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I thought John DiMaggio did a great job with the Joker. They could get him if the Joker is in it, but I don't know if his darker version would fit so well in the Silver Age
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Blimey Charlie WB don't force it. You've got something good going here last thing we need is the video game equivalent to Iron Man 2. "We want to create a persistent universe so let's throw in all the other heroes!"
Not digging talks of lighter tone either, haven't these execs seen The Dark Knight Rises yet. If they haven't let me inform you... IT'S PRETTY BLEAK.-
The only viable IP that WB Games has right now is Batman, so they're milking the hell out of it. Haven't you noticed the steady avalanche of Batman games, between Rocksteady's titles, Gotham City Impostors, and DC Universe Online? About the only thing that wasn't Batman was Mortal Kombat, which was really good, but it's not like Nether Realms is going to have a follow-up within the next year.
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Whatever...as long as it's Rocksteady, they can take my money now.
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When the hell is Arkham City GOTY Edition coming to STEAM?!?!?!?
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