KEY POINTS

  • News of a sequel to "Batman: Arkham Knight" was expected to be revealed at the now-canceled E3 2020
  • Story rumors are varied, including having Damian Wayne take over as Batman and making the Court of Owls the main villains
  • This will be the fifth game in the popular Batman Arkham series of video games

With five years passing since “Batman: Arkham Knight” was released, news of the next chapter in the superhero franchise might be on the horizon sooner than fans think.

Although rumors and story leaks have included current Robin Damian Wayne taking over from his father to the infamous Court of Owls playing a central role in the story, nothing official has ever been confirmed. The canceled E3 2020 was expected to spill some news on the project had Warner Bros’ expected press conference pushed through.

According to Gamerant, GameReactor's Eirik Hyldbakk Furu though claims that he has a lot of information on the next Batman Arkham game. "The plan is apparently still to show us the game within the next couple of months, and I doubt the pandemic and/or Black Lives Matter movement will change that,” Furu said.

As DC Comics parent company, Warner Bros. clearly knows a hit when they see one and the Batman Arkham series has proven to be a lucrative gaming franchise. Beginning with “Batman: Arkham Asylum” in 2009, the series developed by Rocksteady Studios and WB Games Montreal has been popular among fans of Batman in comics and movies as well as video game enthusiasts.

Casting “Batman: The Animated Series” veterans Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as The Joker immediately captured the imagination of longtime fans of the cartoon but the actual gameplay soon allowed “Batman: Arkham Asylum” to stand on its own. In 2011, “Batman: Arkham City” took the Dark Knight out of the asylum and into the super-prison enclosing the slums of Gotham City.

That was followed by the prequel game “Batman: Arkham Origins” in 2013 featuring a younger, less refined Batman dealing with a bounty placed on him by the crime lord Black Mask. Roger Craig Smith took over as the voice of the lead character.

Regarding the next installment in the Batman Arkham series though, Gamerant reports that even Furu himself has stated that even though he trusts his sources, the information is far from confirmed. From a total reboot to yet another prequel to the Arkham trilogy, to a game more focused on Batman’s allies, until Warner Bros. itself reveals more, the five-year wait since “Batman: Arkham Knight” continues.