City Of Dreams...

To Gotham City, Robin ole' chum...



You know I love the "Batman: Arkham Asylum" video game and look forward to the sequel...

"Batman: Arkham City" comes out late next year and I can't wait to get it, but for the most part the game has been shrouded in mystery. We know that there will be new villains (Mr. Freeze, yeah!) and a larger canvas on which to be the caped crusader, but other than some awesome looking stills, we haven't gotten much info until now.

Here is a teaser for the sequel to Arkham that reveals a little bit of the plot, with awesome graphics and the introduction of the villain, Hugo Strange. Oddly enough, the rumors are that Strange will be one of the main characters/villains in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises" in 2012. That is going to be one amazing year at the box office.

But until then, we can enjoy experiencing the City next year...

The City By Knight...

Na, na, na, na, na, na...










I haven't seen much around the web about this...

I can't wait to play "Batman: Arkham City" when it comes out next year. Everyone who has played it and is a devoted fan, is looking forward to the sequel in 2011. There is much speculation as to what it and the villains will look like in the new game whose story is again by Paul Dini.

Well, thanks to a series of shots over at a mysterious Flickr account, we now know. If you want to see what some of the scenes will look like, as well as what some of the villains will be like, then go over to Comic Vine and get your fill of Two-Face, Catwoman and lots and lots of badguys.

Oh, and some guy dressed like a bat...

Batman Sequel Named...

In the City...




Bring on the Bat...
No, that's not the title of the new Christopher Nolan film...

That's the title of the sequel to. The. Best. Super-hero. Game. Eva.

The "Batman Arkham Asylum" video game is pure pleasure to play and enjoy. It is my favorite game to play on my PS3 (followed by "Uncharted 2"). Sadly, I have to wait a whole year to play its sequel. Check out the official website for updates.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a game to finish...

Steady As A Rock...

It appears that Warner, like Disney wants to be more and more into the interactive part of entertainment...

That's why Warner has purchased a majority stake in Rocksteady Studios, the game company that created the fantastic "Batman: Arkham Asylum" game from last year. My favorite PS3 title btw.

Unlike Disney, Warner has been buying well known, super hot companies. Disney under Bob Iger has focused on purchasing talented companies that don't really have that many blockbuster hits under their belts. It's still a year or two out before we know if this strategy is working. Some feel that it would serve the Mouse better to purchase a high profile studio to collect/let rub off the "cache" of that companies titles and experience. There have been rumors for months of a purchase or takeover of EA by either Disney or Apple. Strange that it's those two companies, eh? So far, it's vapor-rumor, but you never know...

Here is the press release from Warner Bros:

BURBANK, Calif., February 23, 2010 – Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group announced today the acquisition of a majority stake in Rocksteady Studios, a privately held developer of interactive entertainment targeted at teens and adults, continuing Warner Bros.’ pattern as one of the industry’s fastest growing games publishers.

“Rocksteady demonstrated its professionalism and extraordinary development abilities with Batman: Arkham Asylum,” said Kevin Tsujihara, president, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group. “This arrangement is a great strategic fit and we are very pleased to solidify our relationship with this talented development team.”

Founded in 2004 in London, England, Rocksteady specializes in developing action-adventure video games, including Batman: Arkham Asylum, one of the most critically acclaimed games of 2009. The title has enjoyed robust sales, shipping over three million units worldwide, and has garnered numerous industry awards.

“We are proud to strengthen our association with WBIE, a world class publisher that we have enjoyed working with since we began developing Batman: Arkham Asylum,” said Jamie Walker, studio director, Rocksteady Studios. Sefton Hill, games director, added, “The Rocksteady team is very much looking forward to creating more great games based on widely recognized Warner Bros. brands like Batman.”

Warner Bros. continues to grow its games business through key acquisitions, building internal development capabilities, leveraging its global video distribution infrastructure, and focusing on developing major games franchises such as Batman, Mortal Kombat, The Lord of the Rings and LEGO.

“With the successful release of Batman: Arkham Asylum, a franchise that is a key focus for Warner Bros., Rocksteady has proven that they have the expertise to create hit games with mass appeal,” said Martin Tremblay, president, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “We are currently working with Rocksteady on the sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum and look forward to bringing the continuation of the franchise to fans worldwide.”

“We are delighted to be deepening our relationship with London-based Rocksteady Studios, one of the UK's most respected games developers and 2009 recipient of the VGA’s coveted ‘studio of the year’ award,” said Josh Berger, president and managing director, Warner Bros. UK. “Rocksteady clearly has the talent, expertise and technology to make great games and we are fortunate to continue working closely with them as we further expand our games portfolio.”

In 2007, Warner Bros. acquired TT Games, developer of the hit LEGO-based game franchises, including LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Indiana Jones and LEGO Batman, which have wide appeal with players of all ages. In early 2009, Warner Bros. acquired Snowblind Studios to develop its The Lord of the Rings games franchise, with the first title expected to be released in 2011. Most recently, Warner Bros. purchased the primary assets of Midway Games. Midway published the Mortal Kombat franchise, which has sold over 26 million units worldwide, and owned a robust IP catalog and broadly applicable game engine technology. As part of the transaction, Warner Bros. acquired two talented development studios to focus on the Mortal Kombat franchise as well as other key properties.

Hat Tip to Deadline Hollywood.