As both super hero films and video games continue to evolve into something that can be accepted as “art” by the mainstream, it’s easy to forget a day and age when a crappy video game based on a crappy super hero film was a forgone conclusion. It seems that when Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight came out in 2008, it changed the landscape, not only in what a “super hero” film could be, but also in terms of the existence of the video game tie-in game. Considering the movie’s success in both commercial and critical categories, many thought it odd that we never saw a video game version of Nolan’s second bat-flick. Thanks to a video from DidYouKnowGaming, we now have the answers that we seek.
In a fascinating and detailed video, DYKG examines all the issues Pandemic Studios ran into at the time, ranging from a lack of cooperation from the studio and a game engine that couldn’t handle the game they wanted to make. This eventually led to a delay of the game that in turn led to its cancellation, leading to a massive loss for publisher EA, and the dissolution of Pandemic Studios.
The video from DidYouKnowGaming is a fascinating look into the process of making a video game, movie pre-production, where the two intersect in the arena of movie licensing. While it is interesting to wonder what a video game based on Nolan’s Dark Knight film could have been, it is equally easy to forget, since a year after the film’s release, we were introduced to Rocksteady Studios’ Batman: Arkham Asylum, which went on to launch one the super hero’s most successful video game franchises.
What do you think of this? Would you have played the game? Sound off below!