The newest Batman game will have a multiplayer mode, we've heard from two independent sources.
Batman: Arkham Origins, a prequel announced earlier this month, will be the third game in the Arkham series, and the first to have any sort of multiplayer, according to our sources. We've also heard details about at least one multiplayer mode from a tipster, although we haven't been able to confirm them.
In early March, before Origins rumors started swirling, we heard from a tipster who claimed to have details about the Dark Knight's newest game. The game would be called "Batman Origins," he claimed, and the box cover would have a snowy, Christmas-themed background. We couldn't verify any of the information he gave us, so we sat on it.
Then, a couple of weeks ago, Game Informer revealed their cover for the April issue of their magazine. It's Batman: Arkham Origins, and the cover is indeed full of snow. The game is set during Christmas Eve.
Our tipster had also shared some details about multiplayer in Arkham Origins, so we reached out to a number of industry sources for confirmation. Although we were unable to corroborate the specifics, we did confirm with a second source that the game will indeed have multiplayer. (Warner Bros. declined to comment for this story.)
As for the details, according to our tipster: during at least one section of multiplayer, you play as a member of Joker or Bane's gang while trying to take down Batman and Robin. The villains involved—who may be playable and customizable—include Killer Croc, Deadshot, Firefly, Black Mask, Deathstroke, and "some kind of Electroman character," our tipster said. (Maybe Electrocutioner?)
That's all unconfirmed, but we feel comfortable sharing it, since our tipster was spot-on about the name and cover. This could be one multiplayer mode, or it could be the only one. We don't know. We'll find out more this fall.
Warner Bros. has shown interest in Batman-themed multiplayer before: Gotham City Impostors, a downloadable game that came out last year for PC and consoles, was a multiplayer shooter where players dressed up as fake Batmans and Jokers to duel online. This is the first Arkham game developed by a new studio: WB Montreal will develop Origins, taking the bat-mantle from the London-based Rocksteady Studios.
Batman: Arkham Origins is out October 25 for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and PC.
(Above image, which is not, as far as we know, from the game's multiplayer mode, via Game Informer.)
Batman: Arkham Origins Will Have Multiplayer, Sources Say