Batman: Arkham Origins
A prequel following a younger Batman hunted by assassins on Christmas Eve.
Batman: Arkham Origins is an action-adventure game released in 2013, developed by WB Games Montréal and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. It follows 2011's Batman: Arkham City as the third main entry in the Batman: Arkham series, drawing on the DC Comics superhero. The story takes place eight years before Batman: Arkham Asylum, featuring a younger, less polished Batman. On Christmas Eve, crime lord Black Mask puts a bounty on Batman, luring eight of the world's top assassins to Gotham City. Batman must capture Black Mask while evading the police and confronting villains like the Joker and Anarky, who exploit the chaos for their own schemes.
The game uses a third-person perspective, emphasizing Batman's combat, stealth, detective work, and gadgets for both fighting and exploration. Players freely navigate the open world of Gotham City, interacting with characters and completing missions. Beyond the main story, Batman can assist police with crimes and battle other supervillains. A new feature lets Batman virtually reconstruct crimes, allowing him to examine scenes and identify perpetrators. Arkham Origins also introduces the series' first multiplayer mode, where players engage in a gang war between the Joker and Bane.
Development started in 2011, with WB Games Montréal taking over from series creator Rocksteady Studios, which was busy with Batman: Arkham Knight and couldn't release a new game soon. The team chose a prequel to explore Batman's vulnerability and inexperience, aspects previous games couldn't address. The story drew inspiration from the comics Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight and Batman: Year One, with input from writer Geoff Johns. The multiplayer mode was developed separately by British studio Splash Damage.
Arkham Origins launched worldwide on October 25, 2013, for PlayStation 3, Wii U, Windows, and Xbox 360. It received mostly positive reviews, praised for its voice acting, boss fights, storyline, and musical score. Criticism focused on a lack of gameplay innovation and technical issues, while the multiplayer was seen as an unnecessary addition.
A companion game, Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, released alongside it for Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita, and a spin-off mobile game arrived for iOS and Android in October 2013.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- WB Games MontréalSplash Damage developed the multiplayer mode, while the Windows port was outsourced to Iron Galaxy Studios.
- Publisher
- Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
- Director
- Eric Holmes · Benoit Richer
- Producer
- Ben Mattes
- Designer
- Pierre-Luc Foisy
- Programmer
- Olivier Pomarez
- Artist
- Jeremy Price
- Writer
- Dooma Wendschuh · Ryan Galletta · Corey May
- Composer
- Christopher Drake · Don Diablo
- Series
- Batman: Arkham
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 3
- Platforms
- PlayStation 3 · Wii U · Windows · Xbox 360
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Development of Arkham Origins began in 2011, with WB Games Montréal taking over from series creator Rocksteady Studios, which was occupied with Batman: Arkham Knight. The team chose a prequel setting to explore Batman's vulnerability and lack of experience, drawing inspiration from the comics Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight and Batman: Year One, with input from writer Geoff Johns. The multiplayer mode was developed separately by British studio Splash Damage.
The game is played from a third-person perspective, focusing on combat, stealth, detective skills, and gadgets. Batman can freely move around an open-world Gotham City, interacting with characters and undertaking missions. New features include the ability to virtually recreate crimes for investigation, a fast travel system using the Batwing, and a branching upgrade system. The game introduces new enemy types such as Martial-Artists, Armored Enforcers, and Venom-infused henchmen.
Arkham Origins received mostly positive reviews, praised for its voice acting, boss fights, storyline, and musical score, but criticized for lack of innovation in gameplay mechanics and technical issues. The multiplayer aspect was considered an unnecessary addition. A companion game, Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, was released for Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita, and a spin-off mobile game launched in October 2013. An animated sequel, Batman: Assault on Arkham, was released in 2014, and a direct sequel, Batman: Arkham Shadow, was released on Meta Quest 3 in 2024.
Reader's Guide
Batman: Arkham Origins occupies a unique position in the Arkham series as the only main installment developed by WB Games Montréal rather than Rocksteady Studios. Its prequel setting allowed exploration of a younger, less-experienced Batman, a departure from the established character in earlier games. The game introduced several new gameplay elements, including crime scene reconstruction, fast travel via the Batwing, and a multiplayer mode featuring a gang war between the Joker and Bane. While the multiplayer was considered an unnecessary addition, the single-player campaign was noted for its boss fights and storyline. The game's technical issues and lack of significant innovation in core mechanics drew criticism, yet its voice acting and musical score were well received. Arkham Origins expanded the series' lore by depicting Batman's early encounters with villains like the Joker and Anarky, and its companion game, Blackgate, extended the experience to handheld platforms. The 2024 direct sequel, Batman: Arkham Shadow, continued the narrative with Roger Craig Smith reprising the voice of Batman.
Did You Know?
- The game is set eight years before Batman: Arkham Asylum.
- It is the first game in the series to feature a multiplayer mode, developed by Splash Damage.
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