Last week, Warner Bros. finally announced that a sequel to Batman: Arkham City is in the works and is actually primed for release later this year (they also registered over a dozen Arkham related domain names as well). This latest announcement stays true to form in that the previous two Batman gaming entries were released in the fall season, just in time for the holiday shopping bonanza. However, the bigger issue with this announcement is the fact that it is largely believed that Rockstar Games will sit this next entry out; so this begs the question: do we even want another Batman Arkham game if it comes from another developer? Regardless, we must look ahead at what the next entry in the Batman Arkham series needs to have in order to continue this series overwhelmingly successful run, even in spite of possibly having a new developer...
5. Paul Dini (Storyteller) & Kevin Conroy (Batman)
The previous 2 Arkham entries have had veteran Batman scribe Paul Dini at the helm of both stories. Dini has a rich history with Batman, penning stories for the critically acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series in the 1990's, as well as several stories for the Justice League animated series that followed. The tales that Paul Dini has crafted for the Arkham series thus far have been nothing short of fantastic, and this must continue in the 3rd game that's to come. Dini has reached deep into the Batman lore for the games that have already been released, even pulling at villains like Clayface and Talia al Ghul, as well as heroines like Oracle to round out the storytelling. Because of his knowledge of the Batman catalog, Dini has kept the story intriguing and rich with Bat-history, spinning a masterful web of Bat-lore across two games thus far. Along with Dini's involvement, we have also been spoiled by the A-list voice acting we've come to love with our Batman: Kevin Conroy. We can only hope both are on board for the long awaited 3rd entry in the Arkham series, and if they are, one can only imagine where they take us next!