When Gotham Knights was announced at DC FanDome, it surprised many by taking the bold move of revealing Batman's death at the beginning of the game trailer. Gotham Knights is taking a new approach to Batman games, and removing the Caped Crusader himself may actually be the best move it could have made.
Gotham Knights is an open-world action RPG from WB Games Montreal. It is the start of a new Batman game universe and is unrelated to the well-regarded Arkham series. Gotham Knights can be played either solo or with two-player co-op, and a player can choose to switch between either mode at any time. Players will have the option of using one of four heroes: Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and Red Hood. It will never be mandatory to play as a certain hero, so players can choose to swap as they like between heroes, or play as one character for the entire game.
That last point in particular is one reason removing Batman from Gotham Knights is such a smart decision. Although there are plenty of fans of Batgirl, Nightwing, and the rest of the Bat Family, when Batman is around, the rest of the group are seen as ing characters. If Batman had been on the roster, many would have been drawn to focus primarily on playing him, and not one of the other heroes. Without Batman, the other heroes are on relatively equal footing in of star status. Some people may still be drawn to one hero or the other, but there might be more willingness to experiment with a character the player isn't as familiar with since the extremely well-known Batman isn't there to be an easy pick.
The Death of Batman Separates Gotham Knights From the Arkham Series
Removing Batman also helps Gotham Knights make a clean break from the Arkham games. Although many of Batman's allies were spotlighted over the course of the games, the Arkham series kept Batman very firmly in the spotlight. There has already been some confusion over whether or not the games are related at all. Starting Gotham Knights with the death of Batman makes it clear from the outset that Gotham Knights is its own story, and indeed, the developers have stated they hope this will be the start of a new franchise.
Even if Batman somehow returns to Gotham Knights, his initial absence will help the game take its first steps. This won't be a mentor story where the developers have to come up with a reason for why Batman is sending Batgirl to deal with Mr. Freeze instead of handling it himself. Gotham Knights is a story about four established heroes learning to adjust to a world without Batman, and they'll be in the same shoes as the players who control them. Both hero and player will need to step up and prove that they can fill the void left by the absence of a legendary hero.
Gotham Knights will be available in 2021 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One and PC
