A past interview reveals that Batman: Arkham Origins had bigger plans for its villain-focused gameplay than what made it to the final release.

Game development is full of fascinating “what if” scenarios—features that were planned but never made it to the final release. Sometimes these cut elements are minor tweaks, but occasionally they’re substantial pieces of content that could have dramatically altered how we experienced a game.

Such is the case with Batman: Arkham Origins, where a recent revelation has shed light on an ambitious plan that never came to fruition.

The Clown Prince’s playable cameo was just the beginning… | Image Credit: WB Games Montréal

In a lesser-known interview from 2022, Creative Director Eric Holmes pulled back the curtain on some intriguing development secrets. And while most fans are familiar with the game’s brief playable Joker sequence, it turns out that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to the team’s original vision for villain-focused gameplay.

And as we look back at what could have been, it’s particularly interesting to consider these revelations in light of recent rumors about the future of the Batman gaming franchise. Sometimes the road not taken can tell us just as much about a game as the one that was.

The untold story of Arkham Origins’ cut content

Imagine breaking the Bat from Bane’s perspective instead. | Image Credit: WB Games Montréal

According to Holmes, the team at WB Games Montreal had much grander plans for putting players in the shoes of Batman’s rogues gallery. In the interview with LocadoraTV (translated by Redditor u/NewCryLess), he revealed:

Here’s a game development secret: every part of every game you play has more planned for it than what you eventually get. Trimming it down until you can make it good is just a part of the process. Originally the game had much larger playable plans for both a playable Joker and playable Bane stories.

The fact that we almost got to play as Bane—the tactical genius who famously broke the Bat—is particularly tantalizing. Imagine experiencing the raw power and strategic mind of one of Batman‘s most formidable foes firsthand.

Would we have gotten to plan our own assault on the Dark Knight? Perhaps even orchestrate our own takeover of Blackgate Prison? The possibilities are endless. Unfortunately, as Holmes explains, time constraints forced the team to scale back their ambitions:

There were no shortage of ideas on a playable Joker, just a shortage of time to make everything we wanted to squeeze into the game. The same old game development challenges!

It’s a familiar story in game development—ambitious ideas meeting the harsh reality of production schedules. But knowing that the team had such grand plans for villain-focused gameplay makes you wonder what could have been.

Could Rocksteady’s rumored return signal a second chance?

Remember when Gotham’s crime lords actually felt threatening? | Image Credit: WB Games Montréal

These revelations feel particularly relevant today, as recent reports suggest Rocksteady Studios—the studio behind the original Arkham trilogy—may be returning to Gotham City. Following the disappointing reception of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, which reportedly caused a $200 million loss for Warner Bros., the company has publicly recommitted to Batman as one of its four core gaming franchises.

The timing couldn’t be more perfect. With Kill the Justice League’s live-service approach failing to resonate with fans, perhaps it’s time for the series to return to its roots—and maybe even revisit some of those ambitious ideas that never made it into Arkham Origins.

What makes this potential return even more intriguing is Sony’s reported interest in securing the game as a PlayStation exclusive. While platform exclusivity might disappoint some fans, the prospect of a properly resourced, single-player Batman experience is certainly enticing.

Rocksteady (hopefully) returning to the franchise that made them famous feels particularly poignant given the current state of superhero games. While titles like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 have shown there’s still a huge appetite for single-player superhero experiences, few developers have managed to capture the magic that made the Arkham series so special.

What do you think about these revelations? Would you have liked to play as Bane in Arkham Origins? And how do you feel about the possibility of a PlayStation-exclusive Batman game? Share your thoughts in the comments below!