Bat-fans rejoice, a brand new game in the Arkham series has just been revealed as Batman: Arkham Shadow, and it’s set to release later this year, exclusively for Meta Quest 3. We already have a short teaser trailer and news on who is developing the game, and it’s safe to say we’re very excited to see this project come together.
Sure to be a contender for our list of the best Meta Quest 3 games upon release, Batman: Arkham Shadow will be the first new game in the Arkham series since the first VR Arkham game back in 2016. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is set in the same universe, but doesn’t carry the Arkham name. Batman: Arkham VR was notably incompatible with Meta headsets, and is only available via Steam and PSVR.
Batman: Arkham Shadow is being developed by Camoflaj, the studio behind Iron Man VR and Republique, which also has a VR port. Back in 2022, a statement from studio head and founder Ryan Payton, who worked on games like Metal Gear Solid 4 and Halo 4, revealed that the studio had been acquired by Meta to become a first-party developer.
Warner Bros is well known for not allowing the Batman game license to become a free-for-all, and while reception to the last Suicide Squad game may have been lukewarm at best, the Arkham games have always been considered among the best superhero games ever released.
Joining Rocksteady Games, WB Montreal, and Armature Studios, Camoflaj becomes only the fourth studio to develop a full mainline Batman Arkham game, rather than an offshoot (not including mobile-only games and ports).
No release date is known, but we will find out more about the game during the Summer Game Fest on Friday, June 7, 2024. The decision to keep this game as a Meta Quest 3 exclusive will undoubtedly cause a stir, given that the headset’s hardware abilities are limited compared to what can be achieved on PCVR, but it makes a lot of sense for Meta, now it owns the studio – this could be the type of game that sells headsets to fans of the franchise.
We don’t expect Batman: Arkham Shadow to be made available for free like the last major Meta first-party game, Asgard’s Wrath 2, although that would be a very pleasant surprise for owners of Meta Quest 3 headsets.
If you haven’t already joined the world of virtual reality, then check out our list of the best VR headsets to find the best hardware to get you started.