Rocksteady's next Batman game a stylized prequel - Report

The next game in Rocksteady Studios' Batman series will be a "highly stylized" prequel, Hollywood news site Variety reports today. The game will reportedly detail Batman's first encounter with the Joker, and is based on the Silver Age of DC comics from the 1950s.

Gamers may want to temper their excitement for the project, as the site reports the new Batman game is not likely to arrive until 2014 at the earliest. Additionally, Mark Hamill said last October that he will not reprise his role as the Joker in the next game.

As of press time, neither Warner Bros. nor Rocksteady Studios had responded to GameSpot's request for comment.

Rocksteady Studios' first Batman game, Arkham Asylum, launched in 2009 to a strong critical reception. A sequel--Arkham City--debuted last October and had shipped 6 million copies as of February.