WB Montreal is only a few years old

Last week Batman: Arkham Origins was announced for Wii U and other platforms. It's being developed by WB Montreal instead of Rocksteady and is set a few years before Batman: Arkham Asylum, allowing you to take control of a younger caped crusader as he bumps into some of his most recognisable foes for the first time.

In a development diary on Game Informer, some of the most influential members of the team at WB Montreal gave a little insight into how the studio went about creating the third game in the Arkham series. Creative director Eric Holmes explained how the new game has to add something new to the series:

The challenge for us, coming in after Rocksteady, is to do something that hasn’t been done and do something that isn’t a retread and isn’t a copy-paste of their game. It has to add value, it has to be new. To me, the key to that prequel is that invigoration that it adds to things.

There are so many opportunities, so many options of things to add to the game, especially with an open world environment, it's really a question of choosing the right things to have added and the right characters to bring in.

We're aiming to add carefully targeted items that don't break what works and add value to what's there... There'll be new characters from the Batman universe but all those guys are carefully targeted to bring something new.

WB Montreal hasn't been left to fend for itself though, as Rocksteady has made itself available for any inquiries it might have while creating one of the most anticipated games of 2013. According to senior producer Ben Mattes the studio has contacted the UK-based developer about all kinds of issues including how Batman's cape works.

We are very aware we are standing on the shoulders of giants. We are playing in the space of some of the most critically-acclaimed games of all time and we’ve greatly benefited from that.

The studio did the development work for Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition, allowing it to familiarise with the series and prepare for this new, much more ambitious task.

Martin Carrier, head of WB Montreal, said being offered the franchise was "pretty humbling" and that the developer wants to give the game its own signature.

Are you looking forward to Batman: Arkham Origins? Let us know in the comments section below.

[source gameinformer.com]