During DC FanDome, Warner Bros. Games Montréal announced Gotham Knights. While many expected this to be Batman: Court of Owls, the developers shook things up by taking Batman out of the equation. Players will take control of Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and Red Hood to become Gotham City’s main protectors. It should be noted that this game is set in a different continuity than the Arkham series games. For your first look, check out the world premiere trailer below.

As seen in the trailer, the Court of Owls is still very much involved here, but there are several other Gotham villains at play. At least one notable villain from the trailer is Mr. Freeze, who we see in the gameplay clip below. The gameplay seems to play similarly to the previous Arkham series titles, but with a few changes. One of those changes seems to be enemy levels, as this indicates the game will have more RPG elements. Vehicles return as the Bat Family uses Batcycles instead of the tank-like Batmobile.

“You’re not trying to become the new Batman, you’re becoming your own badass superhero” says Senior Producer Fleur Marty when talking about becoming the Bat Family. The choice to shake the formula up seems to be a good one. As for Batman, whether he’s truly dead remains to be seen, but it seems like Gotham City is in good hands.

Warner Bros. Games has confirmed via a press release that Gotham Knights will have two player online co-op. “With Gotham Knights, the team at Warner Bros. Games Montréal is bringing the Batman Family of characters to life in a unique way to delight both fans and new players,” says Warner Bros. Games President, David Haddad. “As we embark on a new era of interactive storytelling, our development team has been diligently working to create a new, in-depth experience within DC’s Batman Universe.”

Gotham Knights currently has a 2021 release window. The game is coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC. Are you excited to step into the role of the Bat Family? Let us know in the comments below!