Image: Goran Bukvic
Concept art from a cancelled Batman game has surfaced online, sparking all kinds of speculation about what could have been. Freelance concept artist Goran Bukvic released the drawings on ArtStation just recently, and now they’re doing the rounds online.
So why has it got people talking? Well, for starters, the artwork depicts an older Bruce Wayne. He’s still wearing the iconic suit, but he’s got a grizzled grey beard — suggesting that the game would have taken place in the future. Meanwhile, other drawings show a younger Batman — a new Batman — who’s decked out in what looks like a more technologically advanced suit. It sports a red Bat symbol, which fans of 1999’s Batman Beyond (or Batman of the Future, depending on where you live) animated series might find interesting.
In Batman Beyond, an elderly Bruce Wayne is forced to retire from his role as Gotham’s guardian. He recruits a teenager named Terry McGinnis to be the new Batman, and Terry ends up with a futuristic suit not too dissimilar from the outfit that’s shown in this concept art.
Could there have been a Batman Beyond-based game in the works at one point? We might never know for sure. In the post, Bukvic doesn’t reveal any details on the project itself — just that the art was for a “cancelled game a long time ago”. There’s some speculation that this art is linked to Warner Bros. Montreal’s cancelled Batman: Arkham Knight sequel, but again, there’s currently no confirmation.
Anyway, as cool as this concept art is, we’re going to have to make do with Gotham Knights and Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Both games will supposedly release next year.
Would you have been up for a game featuring an older Batman? Let your imagination run wild in the comments section below.
