Gotham Knightstakes place after the death of Bruce Wayne as Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood, and Robin defend Gotham City from the mysterious Court of Owls alongside classic Batman villains.
Many fans awaiting the game have been concerned thatGotham Knightswill face delays. While this remains a possibility, there is a good reason that the upcoming title could be protected from delays despite the uncertainty of the last year.
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Dodging Delays
There are legitimate reasons to be concerned about a delay toGotham Knights. Over the last year. many games have been delayed, including other games published by Warner Brothers.Hogwarts Legacy, a new game in development at Avalanche Studio, was set to be among2021’s most anticipated titles, but was recently delayed another year as the pandemic takes its long-term toll on development studios which already had to rush to adapt last year.
Hogwarts Legacyis far from the only hotly anticipated game to already face delays recently.Returnal,Outriders,Halo Infinite, andThe Lord of the Rings: Gollumhave all already seen their release windows pushed back, making fears thatGotham Knightsmay be further away than fans were hoping understandable.
However, there is one reason to think thatGotham Knightsmay still be slated for a 2021 release. With bothHogwarts LegacyandGotham Knightsowned byWarner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, it seems strange that the publisher would announce the delay of the Wizarding World RPG and notGotham Knightsat the same time. This makes it seem likely thatGotham Knightsmay be prioritized to ensure a triple-A release for Warner Bros this year.
Gotham Knightsalso appears to be further along in development than some other delayed titles, with gameplay videos likeGotham Knights' Mr. Freeze boss fightshowing the game in a playable state, at least for certain segments. Far more gameplay has been revealed forGotham KnightsthanHogwarts Legacy, which has only released one trailer so far, making it hard to tell how far through in development theHarry Pottergame was when it got delayed.
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A Gotham Knights Delay Would Have a Big Impact
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment may also have particular reasons to wantGotham Knightsto remain on schedule.Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leagueis set to release in 2022, also published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment but developed by Rocksteady and set in the studio’s Arkhamverse continuity.
If the two games are released too close to each other,Gotham Knightsrisks losing out. Fans are more likely to be drawn to the Arkham IP, andSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguepromises four-player co-opand a unique role reversal as Harley Quinn and the team hunt down Superman that could invite some unwelcome comparisons forGotham Knights.At the same time, those comparisons are already inevitable as both games are DC-based brawlers with co-op functionality. Pushing them out even closer together means less time for fans to move from one to the next.
All of this gives Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment incentive to push forward withGotham Knights’ original release window, but if the last year has taught anything to development studios, publishers, and players alike, it’s to expect the unexpected. It remains possible thatGotham Knightswill simply need more time as limiting factors cause delays, but fans should not be more worried based on other recentvideo game delays.
Gotham Knightsis currently scheduled to release on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X in 2021.
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