Batman’s final chapter in the Arkham franchise is a darker one, but according to the latest update from developer Rocksteady Studios, it’ll be a more mature one too.
Talking with IGN in a lengthy interview, Rocksteady founder Sefton Hill that the Batman: Arkham Knight has already been rated “M for mature” by the ESRB. The game, which Rocksteady has promised to be their darkest entry in the series, will reportedly avoid “gratuitous blood or swearing” though what amount there might be the studio wouldn’t say.
“This isn’t the case of stripped back Batman. In the case of Arkham Knight, Batman is at his peak and most powerful,” Hill said. That’s why they also have to push him harder than before. You still get the power fantasy of being the Batman. But to counter that strength, the super villains are going to fight dirty and take him to dark places.”
The studio elaborated that Arkham Knight’s development process didn’t include any compromises on their part. Rocksteady claims that while publisher Warner Bros. Interactive did point to several scenes that could cause “issues” with the ESRB ratings board, they chose instead to keep them. Speaking with the VP of production at DC Comics, Hill reportedly informed him an M rating was what the studio wanted and simply put, that was that.
“I’m not blind to the fact that [the M rating] does mean some fans will miss out… I don’t want to be oblivious to that fact,” he continued. “It would have been wrong to water down the game and deliver a story we didn’t believe in to keep the game “mass market” or enable it for more people.”
Batman: Arkham Knight will be the very first in Rocksteady’s trilogy to an “M” rating, as the three previous games in the series – i.e. Batman Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, and their prequel of Arkham: Origins – were all rated “T.”
Years after the events of Arkham City and the demise of his arch-nemesis, Arkham Knight sees Batman fighting nearly everyone in is rogues gallery in a Gotham City under siege from the fear-inducing Scarecrow. Whether the mature themes spring from the villain in question remains to be seen.
We’ll have to wait until June 2nd to find out just how dark Rocksteady’s Dark Knight becomes when the game releases for Xbox One, PC, and Playstation 4.
Via IGN