Gotham Knights Shouldn't Show Off Any More Villains | Screen Rant
Gotham Knights has already shown off a fair amount of villains, including Mister Freeze, the Court of Owls, and Penguin, and in order to maintain a sense of surprise before its October release, no more should be revealed. Although developer WB Games Montréal has only provided the occasional trailer since Gotham Knights' initial reveal in 2020, plenty of information surrounding the game is already in circulation, including key aspects of its story. However, the game is also running the risk of oversharing information before it has the chance to come out, with more trailers and reveals inevitably set to arrive between now and October.
Gotham Knights has been steadily gathering hype since it was first announced, and seeing as how there hasn't been a AAA Batman game since 2015's Batman: Arkham Knight, this is understandable. Anticipation has been growing even further since Gotham Knights got an official release date of October 25, 2022, with the game having been delayed from 2021. The information that has been released about the game and its villains thus far has generated plenty of excitement - with its premise of a Gotham without Batman being a unique one for DC games - but Montréal would be wise to maintain some secrets up until its release.
Thus far, it is known that the Court of Owls is going to be playing a major antagonistic role in the game, and Penguin and Mister Freeze have also been confirmed to make appearances. All three of these are high-ranked names in Batman's rogues gallery, with only the Court of Owls being a surprising addition due to this being their first proper video game appearance outside of Easter eggs in Batman: Arkham Origins and Talon being a playable Minifigure in LEGO DC Super-Villains. While the plot hasn't been outlined in great detail yet, it appears as if Batman villains the Court of Owls will be the primary antagonists, judging by the nature of the organization, as well as their prominence in advertising for the game.
Although Gotham Knights has enjoyed a quiet spell in terms of promotion over the last year, releasing only a couple of trailers since the game's first reveal at DC FanDome 2020, that added sense of mystery could work to its benefit. The villains already attached to the game are plenty enough to drive interest, but only revealing small amounts of content leaves plenty of room for speculation of what else could come. Letting fans wonder about the full cast that may appear in the game is a good way to maintain interest, especially with a property like Batman that has a massive roster of allies and villains to choose from. With so many options still floating around, there is still room for several unexpected villains to make a splash, especially if Gotham Knights doesn't use Batman: Arkham villains extensively over the course of the game.
On the other side of the coin, revealing too much can actually dilute the impact of the game itself. If most or all of the game's villains are exposed in the advertising, then there will be fewer surprising moments in the game. When a villain makes a sudden appearance, the scene will not be as effective if the player knew beforehand that they were coming. While revealing a long list of villains in the game may sound enticing as a way to draw in fans of those villains, it can also unintentionally inhibit the more surprising aspects of a game's story. Essentially, Batman's mysterious death prior to Gotham Knights is not the only mystery that should be kept under wraps until release.
Despite seeing little promotion over 2021, Gotham Knights is still one of 2022's most anticipated video games. However, refraining from announcing any more featured villains will help keep anticipation high while also fueling fan speculation. Combining information with a little bit of mystery could help Gotham Knights become one of DC's biggest game releases to date, especially now that it will no longer have to compete with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, which has reportedly been delayed to 2023.