Batman At E3 2016
Batman is set to be a major part of this year’s E3 Expo
E3 is right around the corner. Leaks have been everywhere the past few days along with official early announcements and trailers, but there’s still plenty to potentially look forward to. And Batman has been someone very tied to video games over the years, especially in the last decade, starring in some of the most highly acclaimed video games of the previous generation as well as current top titles like last year’s Arkham Knight, But with several games coming out soon and more rumored to be in existence, this could be the year Batman dominates E3. Let’s take a look at what we know is coming as well as what has been rumored and odds it will be at the year’s biggest video game show in at least some capacity
Next: #7 - Arkham Knight: Game Of The Year Edition
#7. Arkham Knight: GOTY Edition
Though not officially confirmed, a Game Of The Year edition of Arkham Knight is 99.9% something that is coming out at some point even if it hadn’t already been recently leaked. This GOTY edition will of course include all the extra content released for Arkham Knight at an attractive price (probably $40) and is supposedly releasing in July.
While the timing would certainly make sense in terms of pushing a title that’s going to release shortly after the event, the Game Of The Year Edition of Arkham Knight is probably the least likely upcoming game involving Batman to be shown at E3. GOTY editions of last year’s games are rarely given any serious attention, especially when there are a bunch of new games to be promoting. At most, if Arkham Knight GOTY edition does make an appearance at E3, it will most likely be part of some sizzle reel of upcoming releases, or simply mentioned in passing. I’d rank the odds higher if Warner Bros. was having their own press event like Bethesda or Electronic Arts, but that is not the case.
Next: #6 - Return To Arkham
#6. Return To Arkham
A big part of this current generation of consoles is remasters of games of the previous generation, and the Arkham Series is the latest to get this treatment. Return To Arkham will combine the critically acclaimed titles Arkham Asylum and Arkham City (no Arkham Origins, the redheaded stepchild of the franchise) into one value package with the sheen of the Unreal 4 Engine and all DLC included.
As Return To Arkham is coming out on July 26th, E3 marks a good opportunity to promote the title. Though given how many high-profile games will probably be at E3 this year, I don’t expect it to make an appearance at either Sony or Microsoft’s conference. That being said, there is a decent chance it will be on the actual show floor for people to try out and actually see in person the difference between the Xbox 360/PS3 versions and this new remastered collection. Part of this may very well depend on just how much floor space Warner Bros. has at E3 and how many titles they are actually showing off.
Next: #5 - Rumored Suicide Squad Game
#5. Rumored Suicide Squad Game
This rumored game might be one of the biggest question marks of E3, because assuming it exists we know so little about it. It is reportedly a third person shooter, that may not even have Batman in it (but will still have Batman-related characters such as Harley Quinn) and is also reportedly a direct sequel to Arkham Origins. Given the rather lukewarm response to Origins, that seems like an odd choice, though that’s arguably a better idea than trying to tie it directly to the film, as licensed film games timed to release around a movie have a rather awful history.
Assuming the game exists though, E3 could be a prime opportunity to start the hype train for a Suicide Squad game. Warner Bros. is going full press on the Suicide Squad movie, hoping it’ll be the critical success and crowd-pleaser that Batman v Superman was not, and right now hype is incredibly high for the film, and will only grow in a little over a month at this year’s San Diego Comic Con, where the property will have a massive presence. It’s very conceivable we could get a teaser trailer that doesn’t show any gameplay or even just an announcement that the game exists to get on the Suicide Squad hype train that is going on now. Basically if the game actually exists and can be shown off in any form, I expect it to at least be mentioned at E3 this year.
Next: #4 - Rumored Damian Wayne Game
#4. Rumored Damian Wayne Game
Much like the Suicide Squad title (which was reported to be in existence the same time as this game) we know very little about this rumored title. Just that assuming it even exists, it stars Bruce Wayne’s son Damian, who is the most current Robin in the comics, and would have him using the Batcycle rather than say the Batmobile. There is no word yet on whether this would be some kind of follow-up to Arkham Knight, story or gameplay wise. We don’t even really know who is devloping it aside from it definitely not being Rocksteady because after Arkham Knight they are understandably tired of doing Batman games and have sworn off them for the forseeable future.
But of course that is Rocksteady. I’m sure Warner Bros. would love for Batman to be an annual franchise, and assuming this title exists and is far along enough, showing it off at E3 may be a good way to test the waters to continue the Batman formula in some way without people going ‘oh god, we really don’t need another Batman game so soon’. So I wouldn’t be completely surprised for them to drop a teaser at E3 for this game, even one that makes you think it’s just another Batman game, until they reveal Damian as the protagonist at the end. Obviously again that depends on this game actually existing and just how far along it is.
Next: #3 - Lego Dimensions
#3. Lego Dimensions
While not technically a Batman game, Lego Dimensions features Batman quite heavily. He’s one of the three starter characters, and will be also getting his own add-on story pack based on the upcoming Lego Batman Movie later this year.
E3 seems like an incredibly obvious place to show off a game like Lego Dimensions, where people can actually interact with it and the physical Legos are such an integral part. Also with the Lego Batman Movie coming next year in February, this seems like a good opportunity to promote that kind of content But Lego Dimensions made it’s big splash last year of course, and may not feel the need to follow up this year. It’s not on the confirmed list of E3 titles and there wouldn’t be much point in keeping it a surprise. And given that these are expansion packs rather than a full-blown sequel, it may just not warrant the floor space.
Next: #2 - Injustice 2
#2. Injustice 2
Not a Batman-focused title, but one he is a big part of. Injustice 2 was recently revealed after being rumored for weeks and then leaked via a poster. This is a title we have only a little info about, but we might get a lot more very soon. What we do know right now is that Injustice 2 will feature a whole new dimension to fighting games with characters you can customize and level, upgradeable gear and loot drops. How that all works yet we don’t really know, but they are set to show this game off during the Mortal Kombat X Esport finals on Twitch this weekend.
But what that could also mean is that while we will see Injustice 2 during the same timeframe as E3, it may not actually be at E3. It will have already been shown off at an event Warner Bros./NetheRealm owns and has complete control over, they may feel no need to bring it to E3. But then again, E3 also offers a much bigger stage to present the game to a much larger audience than some hardcore fighting fans who would be watching a Twitch stream on a Saturday evening. I fully expect Injustice 2 to at least be on the E3 show floor.
Next: #1 - Telltale's Batman
#1. Telltale’s Batman
So here’s the funny thing about Telltale’s Batman game (which is just titled “Batman”). Out of all the games on this list, this is one we have known about the longest. It was announced last year. It is coming out this Summer. And yet, we literally know the least about it of any game on this list. That’s just weird. I mean, given that Telltale has a particular formula they use for nearly all their games, we can guess, but we don’t really know. Aside from reportedly running on a brand new game engine, to this point there has been virtually no details about this Batman game, rumors or official news.
In fact, it was only recently announced that this game would indeed be at E3 (via twitter) with no mention of when or in what form (though as I’m writing this it was just tweeted out that we will see the game unveiled sometime Sunday morning). Despite all that, it is the only game on this list 100% confirmed to be at E3. It could be the only Batman-related game shown, or one of many. If we aren’t counting the Injustice showing Saturday, it will certainly be the first.
So Batman could either have one title at E3, or possibly dominate the show. Either way, it’s potentially a very exciting time to be a fan of video games and Batman. E3 2016 officially starts Monday with press conferences by Microsoft, Ubisoft and Sony, but Sunday has a couple of press conferences by Bethesda and Electronic Arts and things just might be happening all weekend, so keep your eyes peeled. We here at Caped Crusades will certainly keep you updated on any and all things Batman going on at this year’s E3 expo.