Warner Bros. reveals first Batman: Arkham game in years — for VR
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Warner Bros. has unveiled the next entry in its popular Batman: Arkham series, a Meta Quest 3 exclusive called Batman: Arkham Shadow.
The game is being developed by Camouflaj, the Meta-owned company behind 2020’s well-received Marvel’s Iron Man VR. However, the official teaser trailer provides few details otherwise.
In the short teaser, we see the Dark Knight landing in a rain-soaked Gotham alleyway before using a smoke bomb to escape a horde of rats. We’re then given a “late 2024” launch window.
Therefore, it’s unclear where Arkham Shadow fits in the larger Arkham universe. The series’ first VR title, 2016’s Arkham VR, was a canonical story set between the events of 2011’s Arkham City and 2015’s Arkham Knight.
Warner Bros. also hasn’t confirmed who is portraying Batman. In developer Rocksteady’s three main Arkham games, as well as Arkham VR, the Caped Crusader was voiced by legendary Batman: The Animated Series star Kevin Conroy, although Sonic the Hedgehog actor Roger Craig Smith portrayed the character in WB Games Montreal’s Batman: Arkham Origins.
However, Conroy sadly passed away in November 2022, so it’s unclear whether he had recorded anything for Arkham Shadow. On X (Twitter), Camouflaj director Ryan Payton noted that Arkham Shadow has been in development since 2020, meaning Conroy could have been involved, but we’ll have to wait and see.
What the Arkham Shadow teaser does suggest, though, is at least one of the other characters that will likely be featured. The plethora of rodents in the trailer, as well as a broken gas mask on the ground, hint at the villain known as Ratcatcher, who can communicate with and train rats. Ratcatcher is best known for appearing in James Gunn’s 2021 DC film, The Suicide Squad, wherein a female version was played by Daniela Melchior.
For now, though, that’s all we have to go on. Warner Bros. and Camouflaj will reveal more on Arkham Shadow at Summer Game Fest on June 7th.
Naturally, the response to the Arkham Shadow reveal has been mixed, to say the least. On the one hand, those who have played Iron Man VR (or Camouflaj’s previous title, République) are eager to see what the experienced developer does with Batman in VR.
On the other, though, people are upset the next Arkham game is only on VR — and a Quest 3 exclusive, at that. That feeling is likely exacerbated after Rocksteady’s latest game, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, released earlier this year to poor reviews. The game is set after the events of Arkham Knight and even features one of Conroy’s final performances as Batman, leading fans to be disappointed over the finished product.
Warner Bros. has yet to announce Rocksteady’s next game outside of the developer’s continued Suicide Squad content updates.
Image credit: Warner Bros.
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