In 2008, EA and Pandemic Studios began developing Batman: The Dark Knight, a PS3 and Xbox 360 game based on Christopher Nolan’s film of the same name. Like its Rocksteady successor, it was touted as an open-world Gotham City with drivable vehicles and missions. However, it was canceled because the December 2008 deadline was not met. EA chose not to renew Batman’s license, so it defaulted back to Warner Bros., a domino effect that eventually led to the Arkham series.
However, as reported by Exputer, concept artist Goran Bukvik, who worked at Pandemic Studios from July to December 2007, has shared some of Batman: The Dark Knight’s artwork on his Art Station page. Here you can see renditions of Deadshot, Black Mask and Electrocutioner.
“In 2007, I got my first job as a character designer for the AAA video game Batman – The Dark Knight,” Bukvik said in a statement. “The game was eventually canceled, but I ended up spending a year designing the in-game villain. It was about making it look believable, not too exaggerated, like waxing.” Buy it. These designs are clearly outdated by my level of skill 16 years ago, but they hold a special place in my heart because they gave me my start in the industry. increase. ”
Although the game was never officially announced, rumors and reports surrounding its cancellation abounded, fueled by an interview with Jim Gordon actor Gary Oldman. He told his G4 that Batman: The Dark Knight will come out after the release of his DVD and his Blu-ray of the film, also detailing how the ability to glide will be included. . Pandemic Studios officials have since revealed why the game was canceled, but EA has yet to comment on it.
Interestingly, the villain depicted in the concept art does not appear in Nolan’s The Dark Knight. In the movie, Joker, Two-Face, and Scarecrow appear, but here we have Electionr, Deadshot, and Black Mask. It’s unclear to what extent the game tied into the film, but it may have worked similarly to Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man tie-in with expanding wallcrawler’s Rogues gallery.
For those of you who haven’t heard of it, Electrocution is a character named Lester Bucchinski. They actually succeeded the hero of the same name, but were later hired as mercenaries to face off against Batman. His powerset is much like Marvel’s Electro, and he’s appeared in the game before, though he’s a lesser villain than the others listed here. He appeared in his 1989 Batman game, and even in Arkham: His Origins as one of his eight assassins hired to kill the Joker.
Whether or not we’ll see more of this canceled Batman in the future is a mystery, but for now we’ve got a glimpse of the villain’s roster.