Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight's combat was inspired by the Arkham series: "We also wanted to bring our own Lego approach to that foundation"

Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight's director has spoken about the game's goal to honor the legacy of the Arkham series.

My favorite announcement of Gamescom Opening Night Live had to have been Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight. While I've not played a Lego Batman game since the original one back in 2008, this one looks like a sick Batman game which we've not had since Arkham City, so I was immediately in.

Although the game isn't adapting any specific Batman story (although there are scenes pulled from the Nolan films and The Batman seen in the trailer) there is one massive inspiration on show, Rocksteady's Batman Arkham series, with the open world and combat looking ripped straight from it.

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GamesRadar+'s Ali Jones spoke to strategic director at TT Games, Jonathan Smith, about the influence of Rocksteady's games on Legacy of the Dark Knight at Gamescom 2025. Smith says: "When we think about embodying Batman as a video game character today, of course we're inspired by the generational defining work that our friends and colleagues at Rocksteady Studios executed so brilliantly in the Arkham series."

He adds, "As a starting point they pulled off the experience of being surrounded by enemies, of fluid combos, and hit counters, and takedowns. We wanted that to be in the game."

However, this isn't a gritty Arkham game, this is a silly Lego game, and that was taken into account by TT Games, as Smith says: "We've also got our own take on it. We're also, in some ways, making it more accessible as well for younger players."

Smith explains: "We also wanted to bring our own Lego approach to that foundation, to deepen what we can do with the gadgets." The trailer shows the likes of the explosive gel from the Arkham series, and of course Batarangs (no Bat Credit Card though), with each of the seven main playable characters having their own gadgets. And, of course, it's a Lego game, so co-op is always a priority which Smith says "no-one has done before." This is true in terms of local co-op, but I assume we all want to forget Gotham Knights anyway.

"As part of generally honoring the legacy of Batman, we honor and appreciate and love as fans what was achieved there [at Rocksteady]."

While you're here, be sure to take a look at our full roundups of everything announced at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2025 and the Future Games Show at Gamescom 2025 to make sure you don't miss out on any new game details.