Rocksteady confident WB Montreal will make 'fantastic' Batman game

Some may have been alarmed to learn Rocksteady Studios is not behind this October's Batman: Arkham Origins. Sefton Hill, who directed Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City has attempted to alleviate those concerns, saying he is confident WB Games Montreal will deliver a "fantastic" Batman game that does the series justice.

"Rocksteady is excited to see WB Games Montreal developing the prequel to the Batman Arkham franchise," Hill said in the latest issue of Game Informer (via CVG). "We are confident this talented team will craft a fantastic experience, bringing the origins of the Arkhamverse to life."

Arkham Origins creative director Eric Holmes said the game being a prequel will allow the studio to "refresh" the series overall.

"It gives us the opportunity to refresh things a bit," Holmes said. "Refresh characters, refresh ideas, refresh the dynamic between Batman and other characters, and refresh the world, too. Batman hasn't become the character that we know and are very familiar with."

The Game Informer magazine also carries a host of new Arkham Origins details. The game will take place on Christmas Eve early in Batman's career and is inspired by comics Batman: Year One and Legends of the Dark Knight.

As for the story, after villain Black Mask puts a hit on Batman's head, various assassins and supervillains spanning the DC Universe will descend on Gotham to try to kill Batman.

Though Rocksteady is not making Arkham Origins, the studio is rumored to be at work on a stylized prequel due in 2014 at the earliest. 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.