This weekend will finally see Warner Bros.' next majorBatmangame be announced, something that has been the subject of seemingly non-stop rumors and theories for years now. It will be announced as part ofthe DC FanDome event, which will also feature Rocksteady’sSuicide Squadgame, but developer Warner Bros. Montreal has already begun teasing it ahead of time.
Only yesterday, a cryptic-looking website provided some clues that led to curious fans uncovering what appeared to bea map of Gotham City, which not only appears to have the same layout as how the city was depicted inBatman: Arkham Knight, butalso features a waypoint (the purpose of which is still unknown).
RELATED:The Future of WB Games: Batman Gotham Knights, Suicide Squad, and Harry Potter
The clues may not end there either, as someone has noticed that the numbers used to uncover the pieces of the map are more than just a random string of digits. When put together, the four codes make 761941364995. What significance does this have? Well, it happens to match the EAN number (basically a barcode number) for Detective Comics #359, which marked the introduction of the character Batgirl AKA Barbara Gordon.
This has resulted in speculation that Batgirl will be playable in the new game. While not confirmed, the matching numbers are most likely intentional and too specific to be a coincidence. It’s also been pointed out that Warner Bros. Montreal has previous experience with the character, having made theBatgirl DLC forBatman: Arkham Knight.
This also matches with previous rumors that the new game would featuremultiple playable characters from the Bat Family, such as Robin and Nightwing. While there have been other characters to hold the mantle of Batgirl, including Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown (the latter also being a former Robin), Barbara Gordon would probably be picked as she is the original and most recognizable depiction of the character.
What helps lend further credence to this is that the cover for Detective Comics #359 is very similar to the cover for Batman: Gotham Knights #43. It’s obvious looking at the two that the latter was directly referencing the former, but how does this support the theory? It’s becauseGotham Knightsis believed to be the title of the new game, thanks to a trademarked discovered last month.
Hopefully, whatever the announcement is this weekend, it will confirm a number of these theorized details and not be a short CGI trailer or something similar.
In related news, Rocksteady, which worked on the previousBatmangames, has come under fire for purportedlyfailing to address complaints of sexual harassmentat the company.
