- A canceled stealth Batman game has resurfaced, which was in development by Saints Row developer, Volition.
- A playable demo for the project was created during the PS2 era in 2003, but was never realized beyond that.
- The gameplay looked quite good for its time and gave Batman fun tools like binoculars and a grappling hook.
A surfaced gameplay demo of a stealth Batman project by Saints Row studio, Volition, yet again shows what we missed out on during the PS2 era.
The closed studio was working on the playable demo in 2003, which featured unique gameplay concepts not seen until a whopping six years later with Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham Asylum.
Why it matters: The Batman franchise has missed out on various fun gameplay concepts over the years because of multiple canceled projects. However, WB Games’ focus on its legacy IPs means we will soon see more Batman titles.
GamesRadar got to see the unreleased demo in an interview with The Strong’s director of digital preservation, Andrew Borman, who aims to secure the 30-year legacy of Volition in the National Museum of Play.
A video of the demo also leaked last year, showing cutscenes with complete voice acting and sound effects before transitioning into gameplay. The gameplay shows Batman climbing around the various buildings and taking down enemies in satisfying finishing moves.
Moreover, Batman utilizes various tools, such as a grappling hook, binoculars, and grenades. Surprisingly, the same tools and Batman model appear in Arkham Asylum six years later.
On a side note, a remake of Arkham Asylum and a new Batman Beyond title are also in Rocksteady’s works.
The demo was made around the same time as Volition’s Underground, which was canceled after a year due to similarities to GTA 3. The exact mechanics were likely applied to the stealth Batman game to salvage the year of development, but nothing came out of it.
Do you think this stealth Batman title could have turned out to be a classic even before the release of Arkham Asylum? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or join the discussion on the Tech4Gamers forum.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devoutly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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