WB Montreal, the developer behind the 2014 spinoff to Rocksteady Studios’ beloved and critically acclaimed Batman: Arkham series, as well as the rumored creators of the next title in that franchise, recently uploaded a tweet promising not an exciting update on their latest project, but a boring tour through their Canadian offices.
Thank you very much for the enthusiasm for our next project. At this time, our channel will showcase the studio: Who we are and why we love making games! So stay tuned!🎮
— WB Games Montréal (@WBGamesMTL) May 13, 2020
The tweet comes as a pretty huge disappointment to fans, who have been eagerly awaiting information on WB Montreal’s new Arkham entry ever since the developer tweeted several enigmatic, though doubtlessly Batman-related symbols on the Dark Knight’s birthday last year, and again in January.
@WBGamesMTL is proud to celebrate Batman’s 80th anniversary with rest of the world during #BatmanDay #Batman80 pic.twitter.com/4VGz9kBWxj
— WB Games Montréal (@WBGamesMTL) September 22, 2019
Understandably, reception to the tweet has been mixed, if not outright negative, with an overwhelming majority demanding updates on the game rather than a promotional video of the company.
Why you love making games? 😀 Really? pic.twitter.com/2Xy3stNb89
— MR.1199 (@mobile1199) May 13, 2020
How WB Montreal is planning to give us an impression of their office culture when a global pandemic has forced socially-conscious people to work from home is a different, but very salient question altogether.
While details are sparse and unconfirmed, there’s a couple things we can say about the project with relative certainty. For instance, it will likely involve the Court of Owls, a secret organization not unlike the infamous League of Shadows, whose creator, long rumored to be collaborating with Montreal as a spiritual successor to original Arkham writer Paul Dini, retweeted the post above.
Other, less substantiated rumors hold that the game will reuse assets from a half-finished but ultimately cancelled Batman: Arkham title that would have taken place after 2015’s Arkham Knight and allow players to take on the role of Bruce Wayne’s son Damian. If true, this would mean the game’s map will be substantially larger than that of Knight, which was the biggest the franchise had seen by a long shot.