Free-To-Play Gotham Knights Isn't All It's Cracked Up To Be
2022 was a giant for games, with the likes of Elden Ring and God of War duking it out at the top alongside Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Still, let's spare a thought for the rest.
While Babylon's Fall and CrossfireX (have you heard of them?) go down as two of the year's biggest blunders, few can forget the spectacular rise and fall of Gotham Knights.
Following on from Rocksteady's acclaimed Arkham trilogy, Arkham Origins developer Warner Bros. Montreal tried to deliver the next AAA Batman game.
Is Gotham Knights Free-To-Play?
You might remember Gotham Knights was caught in a sh*tstorm when it cancelled its last-gen versions but still locked its new-gen releases to 30fps. It didn't have performance mode, and even then, struggled to keep a stable 30fps.
The superhero ensemble quickly dipped out of the charts, and just a month after release, found its price slashed by 40% for Black Friday sales. It's continued to tumble, and now, you can play it for free.
There's been a recent push of Sony trying to get you to part with your cash. To coincide with the release of HBO's The Last of Us, premium-tier PlayStation Plus subscribers have been able to play 2022's The Last of Us Part I.
Gotham Knights has followed suit with a try-before-you-buy demo, but to be honest, we wouldn't bother with this free-to-play disappointment. Although most free-to-play demos give you two hours to play, Gotham Knights gifts just one.
We've crunched the numbers, and even if you whip through the start, you won't get to actually play as Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood, or Robin until a full 20 minutes into the game.
Sitting through at least a third of your free-to-play demo - to then have your hand held around early stages - is hardly worth the download space.
Are We Getting A Gotham Knights Sequel?
Despite its flaws, it looks like WB Montreal is already moving on to its next project. In November last year, the developer posted a job ad for a Senior Concept Artist.
Although there's no word on it being a Gotham Knights sequel, it's supposedly for a AAA title. Also, given that WB Montreal has almost exclusively worked on Batman games, we'd be surprised if it wasn't.
Avalanche Studios turned it around with Just Cause, Free Radical Design did it with TimeSplitters, and Single Trac did it with Twisted Metal. Maybe it'll be the second time's a charm with Gotham Knights.
As for the OG, you could always make the most of the PS Plus Premium free trial and check out Gotham Knights, as well as trials for The Last of Us Part 1, A Plague Tale: Requiem, and Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway.