Batman Gotham by Gaslight footage resurfaces as Arkham-like game you'll never get to play

We've seen many Batman games come and go over the years, and from the isometric days of 1986's Batman through to 2026's Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, we've almost seen it all.

Batman fans have enjoyed the good (Arkham City), the bad (Gotham City Racer), and the ugly (Dark Tomorrow), while there are also a slew of cancelled titles.

Even though we still lament the loss of a tie-in to Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, and it's a damn shame that Meta's layoffs killed the planned Arkham Shadow sequel, they pale in comparison to what Batman: Gotham by Gaslight could've been.

What was Batman: Gotham by Gaslight?

Based on the 1989 DC comic one-shot called Gotham by Gaslight: An Alternative History of the Batman, Day 1 Studios planned to adapt one of the greatest Elseworlds stories there is. The comic transports us to Victorian Gotham City, where the Caped Crusader is pulled into a grisly killing spree being executed by Jack the Ripper.

While we won't spoil the big reveal here, we expect the game would've played out in a similar way.

The comic featured Batman favourites including Alfred and Jim Gordon, as well as cameos from the Joker and Harvey Dent, although Catwoman was notably absent. The 2018 Gotham by Gaslight animated movie improved on this by making Selina Kyle a major player, and it's easy to imagine her also fitting into the game like Rocksteady did with Catwoman in the Arkhamverse.

As for Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, it was pitched by Day 1 around 2009 to 2010, with the F.E.A.R. developer planning to release the game on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Snippets of footage have made their way online, showing a typically grimy backdrop that reminds us a little bit of Bloodborne.

A gameplay leak from 2012 suggested Batman: Gotham by Gaslight would be an open-world game, showing off a period-accurate trenchcoat and utility belt, as well as a pretty cool slow-mo button.

Sadly, this prototype is about as far as things got.

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Why was Batman: Gotham by Gaslight cancelled?

Things started to fall apart for Batman: Gotham by Gaslight when publisher THQ failed to nab the DC Comics production rights from Warner Bros.. At that time, the studio's gaming arm was in the midst of Rocksteady's Arkham games, with Arkham City on the way in 2011.

It's unclear why THQ couldn't get the rights, and whether it was a case of not being able to afford the presumably costly Batman IP, or WB simply didn't see the merit in giving the green light to a steampunk Batman title, the idea was quickly buried.

The closest we've got to a Gotham by Gaslight video game was a DLC skin in Batman: Arkham Origins and another in Legacy of the Dark Knight, which feels like Warner Bros. rubbing a bit of salt in the wound.

With Gotham by Gaslight's footage resurfacing on X, many cried over its cancellation and some even called for a revival. One player complained: "Another potential masterpiece 😭."

Another cheered: "Whoever owns the rights now should make this. Could be incredible."

Someone else concluded: "Man a Gotham by Gaslight game would go so hard!"

The future of Batman games remains up in the air, with the flop of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League casting doubt on the idea that Rocksteady will ever return to the Arkhamverse. Still, much like Batman is never gone for long on the silver screen, we're sure someone will come up with something soon.

As we shine the Bat-Signal into the sky and hope someone sees it, resurrecting Batman: Gotham by Gaslight from the Lazarus Pit like Ra's al Ghul sounds like a license to print money