E3 2014: 'Batman: Arkham Knight' Release Date Next Year, New Batmobile Battle Mode Feature Will Be 'Awesome,' Says Game Manager

“Batman: Arkham Knight” was one of the most buzzed-about games at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles. Publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment even featured a life-sized replica of the game’s iconic vehicle on the show floor. This will be the first title in the “Arkham” series when players can drive the Batmobile, something game developer Rocksteady Studios is pretty ecstatic about.

“I’m most excited about the Batmobile,” Guy Perkins, “Arkham Knight’s” game manager told IBTimes.

“The Batmobile is awesome. It’s the big innovation we’ve brought about in the franchise. It’s something we always wanted to have in the game, but we haven’t had the technology or the horsepower to do that justice. Sefton Hill, our game director, is adamant it’s the ultimate vehicle and addition to the game, so we have to be true to that. With the advent of next-generation and technology, we’re finally able to deliver on that promise.”

In May, Rocksteady stated that the Batmobile was the deciding factor for making the game available only on the newest consoles like Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

“The fact that the Batmobile transforms, we’ve revealed battle mode this E3, so having that extra dimension brings an extra set of gameplay challenges and features into the mix. The Batmobile itself is almost like a character. It really augments Batman’s abilities in so many different ways. It adds so much to the experience.”

In April, rumors surfaced that players may be taking on the role of Bruce Wayne’s son, Damien, in “Arkham Knight,” but Perkins said that isn’t true.

“It’s definitely Bruce Wayne,” he told us.

The game is set approximately one year following the events of “Arkham City,” after the death of the Joker. Though Batman's arch nemesis is no longer wreaking havoc on Gotham, “Arkham Knight” will bring a new crop of villains to the dark metropolis.

“It’s a pleasure to be able to have such rich pickings with villains. I think Scarecrow is awesome. To have him back is amazing. We left him out of ‘Arkham City’ for a very clear reason. We wanted him to be the big bad guy in the third game, we always had this trilogy in mind. We’ve redesigned the character. He’s super menacing. He’s insane,” Perkins said.

This will be the final installment in the “Arkham” series. Though Warner Bros. can choose to continue the game franchise, Rocksteady won’t be making any more “Batman” games, something fans are somewhat disappointed in, since the London-based developer’s version of the Dark Knight has become so iconic.

“We’ve always had a Rocksteady vision of what Batman is. We take influences from lots of places, but our heart is in DC Comics. Warner Brothers allows us to make decisions and take the franchise in the direction we want,” Perkins said. “Batman means a lot to a lot of people, lots of fans have their own favorite stories and versions of Batman. What we’ve tried to do in this game is tell a really emotional story. It’s something that we really haven’t attempted before, it hasn’t been delivered in such a way. There’s a relationship between Batman and Jim Gordon, Oracle. We want to really play off of that and layer in more emotion.”

Apart from the challenge of adding an emotional story to the game, there’s also the sheer size of the sprawling urban area known as Gotham. Batman’s home turf will be five times bigger than it was in previous installments of the “Arkham” series.

“Making something that big in intricate detail was a challenge. It’s five times bigger than in ‘Arkham City,’ 20 times bigger than ‘Arkham Asylum.’ It’s no small undertaking, making sure everything works, progress has been challenging.”

“Arkham Knight” will launch for the PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 sometime in 2015.