Gotham by Gaslight was a one-off DC comic that recast Batman as a 19th century steampunk crime fighter in search of Jack the Ripper. It was also the inspiration for a 21st century video game pitched by Day 1 Studios (Fracture, F.3.A.R), and later ditched by THQ. True, Rocksteady's own Batman games have more than made up for the loss, but after watching this Gotham by Gaslight prototype video (care of Siliconera), one can't help wonder if there could have been room for two Batman revolutions.
Day 1 Studio reportedly started working on its Gotham by Gaslight concept in 2009, but later abandoned the Batman redesign in 2010 after a failed attempt to get THQ on board as a publisher. Had it gone forward, the game would have arrived for PS3 and Xbox 360, and feature interesting era-specific mechanics like the ability to navigate London's thick fog using Batman's gadgets.
Images depicting Bruce Wayne's new steampunk style were spotted last month by Kotaku on a blog belonging to one of Day 1 Studio's visual artists, Julie Farrell. Those were later taken down at the request of Day 1 and Warner Bros, suggesting there's a (very) slight chance the concept isn't completely dead in the water. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking.
Thankfully, nothing ever truly disappears on the internet. Check out the Gotham by Gaslight concept pics in our gallery below.