Batman: Return to Arkham has been delayed with no new release date in sight, publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has announced.
Speaking in a statement issued overnight, the company indicated that the project, which is being handled by Virtuous Games, wasn’t meeting quality expectations. As such, it’s been given extended development time to bring it up to scratch.
“After reviewing the progress of the project, the team at WB Games has decided to delay the release of Batman: Return to Arkham to give the team at Virtuous Games additional time to deliver a polished Batman Arkham game experience,” wrote WB Games’ Steve Grayson.
“We do not have a release date yet and will be sure to communicate that once we are sure the game will be ready. We know this is disappointing news, but we feel the extra time will allow the team to create the best gaming experience for our fans.”
Batman: Return to Arkham features enhanced versions of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The collection was originally scheduled to hit stores on July 29.
Both titles were originally developed by Rocksteady Studios, which explains why Batman: Arkham Origins isn’t included—Warner Bros. Montreal worked on that particular project.
Batman: Arkham series restores faith in superhero games after a muddy history
The Batman Arkham series launched in 2009 for PS3 and Xbox 360, with Arkham Asylum often credited as single-handedly reinvigorating the superhero video game genre. The gritty action-adventure was praised for its intuitive combat system and authentic use of Batman’s abilities, not to mention its excellent use of iconic characters from the DC Comic series.
Batman: Arkham City followed in 2011 and took the franchise into open-world territory for the first time, with the Dark Knight able to explore a fully realised Gotham City as he battled against its criminal underworld. 2013’s Arkham Origins took players back in time, where a younger, less experienced Batman is hounded by a group of deadly assassins.
Rocksteady returned to the series with last year’s Batman: Arkham Knight, which allowed players to step into the driver’s seat of the iconic Batmobile for the first time. The team is also working on a PlayStation VR-exclusive title in the series; be sure to read our impressions on the game here.