Batman: Arkham
Batman: Arkham series logo
Genre(s)	Action-adventure, open world, stealth
Developer(s)	Rocksteady Studios, Warner Bros. Games Montreal, NetherRealm Studios, Armature Studio
Publisher(s)	Eidos Interactive (2009), Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (2009-present)
Creator(s)	Rocksteady Studios
Writer(s)	Paul Dini
Composer(s)	Ron Fish Nick Arundel (Arkham City)
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, OS X, Wii U, iOS, Android, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS
First release	Batman: Arkham Asylum August 25, 2009
Latest release	Batman: Arkham City Lockdown December 7, 2011

Batman: Arkham is a series of action-adventure video games based on the DC Comics character Batman developed by Rocksteady Studios^[1][2] for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows with the second game also released for the Wii U. The Rocksteady games are noted for having a story written by veteran Batman writer Paul Dini and features the actors Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprising their roles as Batman and Joker from DC Animated Universe. The First game centers on Batman trying to stop Joker from destroying Gotham City after he takes control of Arkham Asylum and traps Batman with many incarcerated foes. The second game is set a year later, where Hugo Strange takes control of Arkham and builds a massive prison in Gotham named Arkham City. Batman gets caught in the prison and tries to uncover Strange's plan while he tries to survive a deadly disease he got infected by Joker. The third game, a prequel set several years before Arkham Asylum, tells the young Batman's story caught up by deadly assassins on Christmas Eve after Black Mask offers a bounty on him.

Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009), the first game in the series written by Paul Dini.^[1] The game focuses on Batman and his mission to stop Joker from taking control of Arkham Asylum and then finds out the Joker had planned this in order to create a modified Titan formula, the same drug that is used to power Bane to create an army on mutated Bane-like soldier to take control of Gotham.

Batman: Arkham City (2011), set a year after the events of Arkham Asylum, with a bigger cast of characters and a story written by Paul Dini, Paul Crocker and Sefton Hill. The game tells the story of Batman as he infiltrates the notorious prison Arkham City to stop Hugo Strange and finds out the secret of "Protocol 10". Meanwhile, Joker is dying due to the unstable properties of the Titan formula in his blood. So he injects Batman with his blood so that he can work on finding a cure for it before he dies. The game is noted for being Mark Hamill last performance as The Joker.^[3]

Batman: Arkham Origins (2013), an upcoming prequel set years before Arkham Asylum, the game is developed by Warner Bros. Games Montreal and written by Assassin's Creed and Prince of Persia writers Corey May and Dooma Wendschuch. It tells the story of a young Batman in Christmas Eve being caught in a web of deadly assassins attacking him after Black Mask placed a bounty on him. Conroy and Hamill won't be reprising their role as Batman and Joker after Warner Bros. announced that Roger Craig Smith and Troy Baker are going to voice Batman and Joker.^[4]

Batman: Arkham City Lockdown (2011), an iOS and Android game developed by NetherRealm Studios, creators of Mortal Kombat and set before the events of Arkham City where Batman has to stop criminals who are unleashed on the streets of Gotham City

Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate (2013), an upcoming PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS game developed by Armature Studio and set after the events of Arkham Origins where Batman heads to stop a prison riot in Blackgate.

Conroy stated at the 2013 Dallas Comic Con that he had been working on "the next Arkham", leading to rampant speculation that he would reprise his role as Batman in Arkham Origins. As Conroy was unclear, it is unknown if he will have another role in Origins, portray an older Batman in the game or was referring to an unannounced game.^[5]

Starting in May 2011, DC Comics released a six-issue miniseries titled Batman: Arkham City. The miniseries was meant to bridge the gap between the story of Arkham Asylum and Arkham City the game. The series is written by Paul Dini, who wrote both Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, and is drawn by Arkham Asylum and Arkham City concept artist Carlos D’anda. The miniseries picks up one year after Arkham Asylum, where former Arkham Warden Quincy Sharp, now mayor of Gotham City, has decided to close down Arkham Asylum. He decides to create “Arkham City” as the new “home” for all of Gotham City’s thugs, gangsters and insane criminal masterminds, set in the heart of Gotham City. Inmates are under the watchful eye of Dr. Hugo Strange, and can roam free and do whatever they want as long as they don’t try to escape.^[6]

In addition, 8-page digital-first interludes were released to expand on the story included in the miniseries, were written once again Dini as well as Derek Fridolfs and drawn by a variety of artists. The interludes will focus on Batman’s enemies as they vie for power within Arkham City. The interludes were later included in print in the Batman: Arkham City collected edition.^[6]

Batman: Arkham Unhinged is an original digital comic series that released in October 2011 alongside Arkham City, the game. Derek Fridolfs is the main series writer and is drawn by many different artists. The stories spin directly out of events in the game itself, or are flashbacks to events prior to either game, allowing expansion on the background of the characters as they may have existed pre-Arkham City. The stories focus on Batman prominently, but some highlight the villains and the supporting characters as well. The stories were later released in print form.^[7]

Released in May 2012 as digital-first comics, and later in print, Batman: Arkham City End Game is set after the events of Arkham City and its downloadable content, Harley Quinn's Revenge. The story is written by Derek Fridolfs with art by Jason Shawn Alexander.^[8]

Batman: Arkham Origins is an upcoming, digital-first comic, based on the game of the same name. Batman: Arkham Origins will be the first title to feature the new DC² Multiverse technology, that features dynamic artwork, action sounds and the ability to integrate a soundtrack, and allowing the reader to determine the fate of each storyline and character, with multiple options and end results available in each comic chapter.^[9]

The game Injustice: Gods Among Us featured the Arkham City Skin Pack, containing downloadable costumes for Batman, Catwoman, and the Joker, based on their appearances in Arkham City.^[10]

The series overall has received critical acclaim. Arkham Asylum holds Guinness World Record for Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever based on an average Metacritic score of 91.67.^[27] The second game, Arkham City has received wider critical acclaim and won multiple awards including Game of the Year Award.

For his performance as The Joker in the series, Hamill received praise for his performance that eventually secured him a BAFTA for his performance in Arkham City.^[28]