'Gotham Knights' Open-World Map Is A Dream For DC Comic Fans

It’s been a turbulent couple of weeks for DC. Warner Bros are reportedly debating the future of Ezra Miller’s The Flash film following the actor's ongoing legal problems, plus there’s HBO Max’s cancellation of Batgirl. If you’re still disappointed by the Batgirl update, the good news is that the character will soon star in Gotham Knights and WB Games Montréal are lifting the lid on the game’s open-world map.

Check out Batgirl in action in this Gotham Knights gameplay trailer.

WB Games Montréal have promised to create a whole new timeline for Gotham City based on the city’s steeped comic book lore. The timeline - which charts Gotham’s origins as established by the Wayne, Cobblepot, Elliot, Arkham, and Kane families - will inform the Gotham Knights’ plot and gameplay. Speaking to IGN, open-world level designer director Kristofor McMahon described how each of Gotham’s five boroughs will reflect the influence of the founding family that settled there. He explained, “The families moved there, they built imposing structures within those districts. So then we build around that.”

Art director Daniel Kvasznicza added that the city’s design not only reflects the varying styles of Gotham’s founding families but also the repercussions of their actions. For example, Lower Gotham contains a slum which wasn’t intentionally established by the Cobblepots but was instead a byproduct of their failed mining operation. This starkly contrasts the flashier Financial District, for example, so Kvasznicza explains that “the player always has the choice to pick the best tool and the best navigation verb to be as efficient as possible, and with different neighbourhoods that will give you different experiences.”

Kvasznicza also mentioned that the city would be full of Easter eggs. He said, “One that comes into my mind is the way how the city was built. The Downtown area actually got expanded over the Trigate Bridge, and that was something that was in the comics. [...] I think that's part of the fun, once players go into that world and actively see some references [...] That's what I'm really excited about.”

It was also revealed that Gotham Knights’ open-world will have a big underground network for players to explore. Game director Geoff Ellenor said, “I think we made a very big Gotham City, but what I think is really unique to Gotham Knights is the density of it [...] There's just such a depth of nooks and crannies to explore inside our city and I think that's really unique to Gotham Knights.” Well I cannot wait to explore.

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