Batman: Arkham Knight will let players fully explore a huge open-world Gotham City for the first time in the Arkham game franchise, but the series created by Rocksteady started with the more linear and confined landscapes of Arkham Asylum.
In a new interview with IGN, Rocksteady marketing manager Guy Perkins explains the reason for each game growing in scale. Each game, he said, continues to add an additional key piece of the Batman experience, up to Arkham Knight, which finally includes a fully controllable Batmobile for players to have fun with. It also revolves around the story Rocksteady is trying to tell.
"We try to create that very cinematic story-telling experience through the game," he says. "Obviously Asylum was the starting point for that, but the intimate cat-and-mouse gameplay between the Joker and Batman really demanded it took place in the pressure cooker of the Asylum. So that had its place for that story, but then we took that into the open world to give players the next piece of the Batman armour as it were, which is the grappling gun and the ability to glide. The introduction of those pieces really required a bigger game world to support them, but then the big thing that was always missing for us was the Batmobile. It was always missing but wouldn't have worked in Asylum or City, so to build an open-world around that was crucial."
Perkins also revealed more information about Scarecrow's role as Arkham Knight's chief villain, alongside the original Arkham Knight character after which the game is named.
Scarecrow rising to the top of the bad guy food chain is only possible after the death of "you-know-who," which Perkins also discussed. If you haven't finished Arkham City yet, you have been warned. Turn back now.
"The death of the Joker at the end of Arkham City has created a different world for the criminals of Arkham Knight," Perkins says. "He's not there to disrupt the things they're doing, so you have to imagine a world where he's not there and not causing that chaos. They can get organised, work together and offer a more formidable challenge."
It is for that exact reason Rocksteady intentionally left Scarecrow out of Arkham City. With Joker now gone, Scarecrow can come back with bigger plans than ever for the destruction of the Dark Knight.
Batman: Arkham Knight officially received a June 2, 2015 release date earlier this month. The game will be releasing for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.
