If you’ve been following the game release history of the “Arkhamverse” (which began with Rocksteady Studios’ Batman: Arkham Asylum) you’d know that their latest game, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League — which released a few months ago — was meant to be somewhat of a sequel and a reboot where the Arkham continuity carried on with players controlling the titular Squad instead of The Dark Knight.
When SS:KTJL was released a few months ago, “the internet” quickly declared it a disappointment after middling reviews and constant tech/server issues. However, plenty of folks could at least enjoy the game as presented, especially those who were more invested in the Arkhamverse story and hearing one of Kevin Conroy’s last performances as Batman instead of hopping into the latest looter-shooter game.
Undoubtedly, the early Batman-centric sections were one of the most praised parts of the SS:KTJL campaign. During those brief moments, you (the player) got to feel what it was like to be hunted by Kevin Conroy’s Arkham Batman. It was going to be a bittersweet experience regardless, but the conclusion to that Batman’s story (at least before future DLC releases) proved highly controversial and left any sort of continuing legacy for that specific iteration of the character in doubt.
With SS:KTJL out in the wild and with an ongoing DLC campaign, I didn’t think we’d get any further Arkhamverse content for quite a while. I was happy to be wrong about that when Batman: Arkham Shadow was announced today with a surprise teaser trailer and a release window of “Late 2024.”
The game is being developed by Camouflaj, who created the excellent Iron Man VR back in 2020, initially for the Playstation VR and later for the Meta Quest. Arkham Shadow is also being developed for VR and this time it’ll launch as an exclusive game for the Meta Quest 3 platform. Meta purchased Camouflaj back in October 2022, so there’s your instant answer as to why the game is a Quest exclusive for…the time being.
Still, with the studio shifting hands and the VR platform exclusivity, this tweet from Camouflaj Studio Head Ryan Payton instills some confidence as he reveals the game has been in development for around four years:
I’m thrilled to finally reveal what we at @Camouflaj have been working on since 2020: BATMAN: ARKHAM SHADOW, a built for VR, brand new entry into the incredible Arkham franchise coming exclusively to Meta Quest 3 later this year.
Here’s our first trailer: https://t.co/yrOf0gLNH1
— Ryan Payton (@ryanpayton) May 1, 2024
The short, pre-rendered 50-second trailer doesn’t give an abundance of details, but there’s enough to get some quick speculation going. Some shots seem to tease the villain Ratcatcher, and Batman’s appearance (and the game’s name) appears to place the game in a time period that’s post-Arkham Knight and pre-SS:KTJL.
The BOF faithful may remember that I reviewed Rocksteady’s own Batman: Arkham VR when it released alongside the Playstation VR headset back in 2016 and called it “one of the best Batman experiences in any medium”, so…Arkham Shadow has some pretty big shoes to fill. Yes, there are some catches here with a new-to-the-series developer and a Quest-exclusive release, but I’m cautiously optimistic. I’m hoping there’s just enough light shed on Arkham Shadow in its next reveal (set for Summer Game Fest on June 7th) to get more players on board than the Arkhamverse die-hards who already own a Meta Quest 3! – Ryan Hoss
