WB Games Montreal is carving its own unique DC canon with Gotham Knights, which has many idiosyncrasies that isolate it from otherwise obvious comparisons to the games that came before it. The most significant is its co-op gameplay, allowing players to indulge in two-player crime fighting throughout the entire game. It was previously rumored that Gotham Knights may even get four-player multiplayer at some point, though those rumors have since been dismissed.
Still, it would not be WB Games Montreal’s first foray into multiplayer with a DC Comics game. Batman: Arkham Origins’ multiplayer was popular for what it was, adding an interesting dynamic wherein fans could play as Bane, Joker, and their affiliated gang members, as well as Batman and Robin. It is now impossible to play this multiplayer mode, but it should be revived or succeeded by another multiplayer game. With The Last of Us’ untitled multiplayer project in mind, WB Games Montreal could create an experience with a similar scope.
Batman: Arkham Origins’ Multiplayer Deserves a Revival or Successor
Batman: Arkham Origins’ multiplayer, which was produced separately by Splash Damage and not WB Games Montreal, was composed of two competitive modes: "Invisible Predator Online" and "Hunter, Hunted." These multiplayer modes were detached from Batman: Arkham Origins’ narrative, as the nature of the events within each match did not coincide with anything that occurs during the single-player game, such as Joker and Bane’s gangs going head-to-head.
Moreover, Robin is introduced in this multiplayer mode as a co-op sidekick for Batman, though he does not appear anywhere else in Batman: Arkham Origins. Each game mode has Joker and Bane’s rival gangs contesting one another as Batman and Robin attempt to thwart them and raise an intimidation meter. Joker and Bane are even playable after a period of time once players call on them individually, swapping their elite gang member character for the associated supervillain. Gameplay for Batman and Robin is similar to how Batman: Arkham Origins is normally played, but the elite gang members have their own firearms and cover system.
This resulted in fun cat-and-mouse antics where elite gang members would scurry around corners and anxiously watch gargoyle perch points for a crime-fighter to appear, firing at them as they grapple away. Batman: Arkham Origins’ multiplayer more than deserves to be resurrected in some form, whether it reprises these same modes or creates an entirely new structure. The Last of Us’ multiplayer game has recently been announced, and this may be able to provide the perfect blueprint for what an Arkham Origins successor could look like.
The Last of Us’ Untitled Multiplayer Project May Provide a Template for PvPvE
It is currently unclear what will occur in Naughty Dog’s multiplayer The Last of Us game. It could play similarly to The Last of Us’ Factions, but details have confirmed its scope and scale will be immense, while it will also have an emphasis on story.
It is entirely possible that Naughty Dog’s multiplayer game could have PvPvE features, with players surviving an ambush from other players while also trying to evade hordes of infected. If Naughty Dog uses open zones rather than segmented map lobbies, The Last of Us’ uniquely post-apocalyptic take on San Francisco could boast exploration and looting with camps that players defend or attack throughout the city.
Compared to Factions mode, Batman: Arkham Origins’ multiplayer is more diverse with three separate factions involved in each competitive match. PvPvE would benefit The Last of Us’ new multiplayer game greatly and add that third element, whether the infected were simply NPC enemies or playable themselves.
So while Factions may be subjectively inferior to the options players have in Batman: Arkham Origins, this new multiplayer game has the opportunity to have a much larger scope in miniature open-world zones. There is currently no suggestion that a new multiplayer game will be unveiled from Warner Bros. or WB Games Montreal, but it would be a shame if one was not established with the same potential gameplay and scope that The Last of Us’ multiplayer game should have.
Gotham Knights Could Set the Stage for an Open-World PvP Multiplayer Game
If Batman: Arkham Origins’ multiplayer is akin to The Last of Us’ Factions, WB Games Montreal could have an answer to The Last of Us’ new multiplayer project. This could be achieved through WB Games Montreal’s Gotham Knights. Because Gotham Knights already allegedly features the largest Gotham City in games, it would be difficult to imagine a multiplayer experience encompassing that entire area. Instead, a segmented part of the open-world could be used with gameplay similar to Batman: Arkham Origins’ multiplayer. Gotham Knights features a myriad of fictional gang affiliations that players will dispatch, and any number of them could be used as an equivalent to Joker and Bane gangs.
Supervillains could also be called upon for a leader advantage with high damage and low health, though fans are still being kept in the dark about the supervillains that will supposedly populate Gotham Knights’ Gotham. Regardless, even if it was not connected to Gotham Knights, WB Games Montreal, or Splash Damage, a new DC multiplayer game should capitalize on what made multiplayer in Batman: Arkham Origins unique.
Omitting the element of a lobby queue to wait for a map to load would also immerse players into whatever canon it decided upon, making Gotham City a truly open playground for thugs and crime-fighters alike. Its narrative could be a continuation of Gotham Knights’ story, perhaps in a post-narrative continuity where leftover villains are now pitted against one another. Gameplay could see four crime-fighters pursue enemy gangs in different parts of the city.
Batman: Arkham Origins’ multiplayer lacked a cohesive narrative element and even featured Bane before his TN-1 overdose, and it would not be essential for player satisfaction to have a similar idea in newer games. But it could extend its shelf-life with more villains or other features added through updates in the future.