Saints Row Studio Was Making A Stealth Batman Game 6 Years Before The Arkham Series

Expert Verified By

Yet Another Canceled Batman Game Has Resurfaced!

Story Highlight
  • 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.

Batman Arkham City
Multiple Batman projects have ended up being canceled over the years.

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.

Was our article helpful? 👨‍💻

Thank you! Please share your positive feedback. 🔋

How could we improve this post? Please Help us. 😔

Gear Up For Latest News

Get exclusive gaming & tech news before it drops. Sign up today!

Join Our Community

Still having issues? Join the Tech4Gamers Forum for expert help and community support!

Latest News

Join Our Community

104,000FansLike
32,122FollowersFollow

Trending

Phantom Blade On Its Highest Difficulty Still Isn’t As Challenging As Elden Ring

Phantom Blade Zero gameplay is nothing like Souls, and even on the highest difficulty, it still isn't as hard as Elden Ring or Lies of P.

Activision Dismisses Battlefield 6 Threat; Believes COD Is Too Big To Die

According to a new report, Activision doesn't consider Battlefield 6 as a threat because Call of Duty is too big to die.

Battlefield 6 Won’t Have A Server Browser As The Game Uses AI Bots To Populate Empty Matches

In a new interview, Battlefield 6 developers confirmed that the game will be using AI bots to populate servers that don't have enough players.

ARCTIC Expands P Pro Series With Powerful New P14 Pro Fans

ARCTIC introduces P14 Pro 140mm fans with quieter performance, high airflow, and up to 50% discounts. Ideal for custom PC builds.

Battlefield 6 To Get New Content More Frequently Than BF 2042, Teases Devs

Battlefield 6 developers have teased in an interview that it will get new content and seasonal events more frequently than Battlefield 2042.