"Batman: Arkham Knight," the third game to be developed by Rocksteady Studios after "Arkham Asylum" and "Arkham City," will be the first game of the trilogy to feature a Batmobile that can speed through the streets of Gotham and, at the same time, transform into tank that can take down enemy vehicles.
Rocksteady's "Arkham Knight" design director Ian Ball explained that the reason for the delay of this version of Batmobile was because of the limited technology. "Arkham Knight" is the first game in the series designed for Xbox One and PS4.
Adding the Batmobile didn't simply mean creating a car, but the developer explained that they needed to change the entire city.
The first concept of the car was much simpler, The Verge learned. It was designed primarily to transport Batman around Gotham.
The "Arkham Knight" version is different though. It can be a racing machine in the pursuit mode, but it transforms into a tank in the battle mode — its body rises up, a cannon shoots up and at the top, it is equipped with anti-tank rounds and non-fatal bullets.
Since the new Batmobile has an auto-eject feature, Rocksteady placed the driver in front so it could fly forward while being ejected from the vehicle, maintaining the momentum. As for the car's refinement, Ball said, "We just added in the little details to make it more Batmobile-like."
"The fins, the bat symbol on the front grill, and other details like that finished it off in terms of the look," he added.
The "Arkham Knight" DLC will be coming out in two skins themed after the 1989 "Batman" film, according to Caped Crusaders. One will be a new outfit for Batman just like Michael Keaton's, plus two tracks with Batmobile skin.
Meanwhile, combat developers Noel Chamberlin and Harry Finkle had the chance to show off the Robin AR mission. Design&Trend reported that the mission would let Robin play as a solo character, with his own gadgets and combat moves.
The 1989 DLC pack and the Bat-Family Skin pack are reportedly slated for release today for season pass owners and on Aug. 25 for other players, while the Robin AR mission will be included in the third DLC pack slated for September.
