Warner Bros. unveils title for Batman: Arkham Asylum sequel

Batman: Arkham City

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment this morning announced Batman: Arkham City as the title for the follow-up to its bestselling video game Batman: Arkham Asylum.

For those who have been following along, the title doesn't come as much of a surprise, as ArkhamCity.com and BatmanArkhamCity.com topped a list of Batman-related domain names purchased in recent months by Warner Bros.

Developed by Rocksteady Studios, the London-based studio behind 2009's Arkham Asylum, Arkham City will be available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC next fall. (Warner Bros. acquired a majority stake in the developer in February.)

According to Warner Bros., the game will send players into Arkham City, the new maximum-security home for all of Gotham's "thugs, gangsters and insane criminal masterminds." Arkham City "introduces a brand-new story that draws together a new all-star cast of classic characters and murderous villains from the Batman universe, as well as a vast range of new and enhanced gameplay features to deliver the ultimate experience as the Dark Knight."

Officially announced in December, the sequel is reported to feature such villains as Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, Talia al Ghul, the Riddler and the Joker, the latter voiced for a final time by Mark Hamill.

Batman: Arkham Asylum debuted in August 2009, and sold 2 million copies in its first three weeks of release.

by Kevin Melrose