Everything You Need To Know About Gotham Knights

Gotham Knights is a game that has taken quite a while to materialise. Through leaks and rumours and teases breadcrumbed over several years, fans had an idea that something Batman-related was in the works at WB Games. Those notions were proven true when the game was announced at DC Comics Fandome in 2020. At the time, it was set to hit a release date in 2021 but was ultimately delayed. With the game seemingly on track for Q4 2022, fans are gearing up for another long night in Gotham City.

Without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about Gotham Knights.

Release date and platforms

Gotham Knights will launch on October 25, 2022. It will launch on PlayStation 5 and Playstation 4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, and Windows via Steam. WB Games has announced that the game will no longer come to previous-gen platforms. Sorry, PS4 and Xbox One owners, you’re going to miss out on this one.

EB Games has a Collector’s Edition of the game available for preorder, clocking in at a weighty $499.95. Included in this kit is a Gotham Knights statue of the game’s core four heroes along with a raft of other goodies and in-game unlockables. Chief among these unlockables is the Beyond Suitstyle, a suite of costumes based on the popular Batman Beyond animated series. It also contains a ton of in-game resources to help you get off to an extremely overpowered start. Here’s the full list from the EB website:

• Full Game – Deluxe Edition
• Visionary Pack
  • Exclusive “Knightwatch by Jim Lee” Transmog
  • Beyond Suitstyle, inspired by Batman Beyond universe
  • Salvage to build new Gear
  • Boosted Gear
  • Exclusive Emote
  • 3 Exclusive Suit Colorways
    • Ultra Zur-En-Arrh
    • Chroma Frost
    • Tribute Asylum
• Gotham Knights Exclusive New Guard Statue, inspired by Jim Lee
• Promethium New Guard Transmogs
• Jim Lee Certificate of Authenticity
• Augmented Reality Talon Key
• Gotham City: City of Bridges of collectible map

Developer

Gotham Knights is in development at WB Games Montréal, and WB Games will publish. This is the same studio behind the well-loved Batman: Arkham Origins, and some of Arkham Knight‘s most well-received DLC content.

Setting

Gotham Knights is an action RPG set in an open-world version of Gotham City.

The most crucial and publicly surprising aspect of the game’s story is that Bruce Wayne is dead. Bruce’s death triggers a series of precautionary measures, including the destruction of the Batcave. A pre-recorded video message from Bruce is sent to the Bat Family. Bruce hands the Family the keys to the Belfry, a disused satellite Batcave full of outdated equipment. It’s up to them to protect Gotham know, and as Bruce’s message explains, the city’s criminal element will respond to news of the Batman’s death the only way it knows how.

Villains

There are plenty of villains waiting to get the jump on our heroes, like the Penguin and Mr Freeze. But it’s the Court of Owls that will prove a real thorn in the side. The Court of Owls is a cabal of anonymous Gotham elites that hide behind ceramic owl masks. They are also the controlling organisation behind popular Batman villain Talon. Talon and the Court of the Owls were first introduced in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s legendary run of Batman comics in the New 52 era and have remained popular since.

While we’re sure there are plenty of other villains in the game, WB Games is still playing its cards close to the vest.

Features

Gotham Knights is far from the first open-world Batman game. What sets it apart from other Batman: Arkham titles is that the player can choose from one of four heroes: Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and Red Hood. Each character is designed to play different and has their own unique abilities. Characters can be levelled up and, as you go, the criminals of Gotham will grow stronger to match you. Though it can be played as a solo experience, Gotham Knights can also be played as a two-player cooperative experience. We don’t know for sure, but it seems likely the game won’t support couch co-op for this mode, just online.

Players can also use the Belfry as a base of operations during the day. Here, players can prepare for missions, choose their character(s), and upgrade their skills. When ready to commence a mission, the game will automatically fast-forward time to the evening and your characters will depart the Belfry.

The game will feature a new RPG and loot system which will allow you to upgrade each hero’s base stats. This will affect each of the game’s four main heroes and how they play. Each already has distinct movesets — Nightwing is a nimble, acrobatic hero that can get in an enemy’s face to deliver a flurry of blows and then flip or cartwheel out of harm’s way. Red Hood, by comparison, is a much slower hero that prefers assassin tactics or to otherwise fight at range. Combined with what appears to be a very Arkham flavoured combat system, this presents myriad options for complex fight mechanics.

Among the small touches announced during a recent developer update, the game features a customisable UI that can be tailored to the user’s tastes.

Trailers

The latest look at Gotham Knights arrived on May 11, with a deep dive into Red Hood’s moveset and the game’s new RPG upgrade system.

You can check out the announcement trailer for Gotham Knights below!

And here’s a gameplay trailer!