Batman: The Dark Knight was an action-stealth game for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 developed by Pandemic Studios from September 2006 until its cancellation in October 2008. It would have been the first open world video game to feature the DC Comics superhero Batman and was based on Christopher Nolan's film The Dark Knight. In Batman: The Dark Knight, the player controlled Batman, who could freely explore Gotham City, drive vehicles, and perform missions. Pandemic was given access to the film's script and other materials, and the cast was to reprise their roles for the game.
Why It Was Cancelled[]
- Development was stalled when Pandemic's staff discovered the underlying technology desired to create the game was incompatible with most assets.
- Publisher Electronic Arts (EA) chose to cancel the game when it could not reach its intended December 2008 deadline.
Results[]
- Lego Batman: The Video Game ended up being the de facto tie-in game for the movie.
- EA reportedly missed US$100 million in potential revenue.
- The Brisbane branch of Pandemic was shut down shortly after the debacle in February 2009; some staff moved to Los Angeles to finish The Saboteur. The studio was closed entirely in November 2009.
- EA did not renew its license, so the video game rights to the Batman intellectual property reverted to Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment afterwards.
- Although a Dark Knight video game was never released, an expansion pack for Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (2014) contains levels based on the film, and Batman's suit from the film is available as downloadable content for Batman: Arkham Knight (2015).