As was rumored some time ago, we now know today that the next Batman: Arkham game will be a prequel set in the early days of the Caped Crusader. Whether this is a good idea remains to be seen, but I’m going to keep an open mind. It definitely gets them around the problem of Joker being dead at the end of Batman: Arkham City.

According to Game Informer magazine, Batman: Arkham Origins will be about 8 of the world’s deadliest assassins coming together on Christmas Eve to kill Batman. It’s also going to feature the real streets of Gotham City, possibly in more of an open world than Arkham Asylum or Arkham City.

Oooooh, it’s a mirrored image…I get it

The game comes out on Oct. 25 of this year!

Unfortunately, the game is out of the hands of Rocksteady, who developed both Arkham Asylum and Arkahm City. Warner Bros. Games Montreal is taking over, and I have no clue if they’ll do a good job or not. Apparently they’ve got access to all of Rocksteady’s stuff, including the game engine, so…yay? Maybe? I dunno. I’m going to try to be mostly positive. Here’s a quick video of the guys at Montreal talking about how they know damn well the legacy they have to live up to.

Another plus of a prequel is that they’ll get to tell the stories of Batman’s first meetings with several key characters. Maybe the game will also be about the Joker’s first attack? We know Deathstroke is going to be in the game.

What about, oh I don’t know, Robin?

I probably shouldn’t get my hopes up.

Also, this sounds like a good time to check out my most popular lists of all time, the 6 Things I Want in the Next Batman: Arkham Game!