Is Gotham Knights a sequel to the Batman Arkham games?

Gotham Knights is an action game developed by Warner Bros. Montreal where you play as either Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing, or the Red Hood. It has been quite a few years since the last Batman Arkham title, and since Warner Bros. Montreal did develop Batman: Arkham Origins, there is some confusion about where Gotham Knights sits in the timeline. But is Gotham Knights a sequel to the Batman Arkham games? Here is what you need to know.

Does Gotham Knights take place in the Batman Arkham games?

The trailer starts with voiceovers depicting news reports and witness accounts. It then shifts to a grim video having been sent to the likes of Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing, and the Red Hood. Finally, Bruce Wayne relays to them in a prerecorded video that he is now dead, which at first, led observers to believe that this game will pick up from Batman: Arkham Knight.

Related: Is Gotham Knights cross-platform/crossplay?

When is Gotham Knights set?

Gotham Knights initially appear to be set after the award-winning Batman: Arkham Knight at first. However, the trailer reveals a few things to counteract that notion. In Arkham Knight, Batman is confronted by the villain the game is named after. The Arkham Knight turns out to be Jason Todd, thought to have been killed by the Joker. Batman eventually helps Todd recover. This leads to Todd helping Batman defeat the Scarecrow and save Gotham. At the end of the game, Bruce Wayne and Alfred enter Wayne Manor. The manor then explodes, seemingly killing them both.

At the beginning of the Gotham Knights trailer, the reports and witness accounts speak of an explosion in Gotham. The trailer also makes mentions that Jim Gordon is dead. This is where things appear more as a soft reboot rather than a direct sequel. Jim was very much alive at the end of Batman: Arkham Knight. His daughter, Barbara, is operating as Oracle in Arkham Knight, still confined to a wheelchair. With several years of recovery needed to take up the mantle of Batgirl again, it isn’t plausible for this to take place after Arkham Knight.

With Bruce Wayne seemingly dead in Gotham Knights, it is up to the rest of the Bat Family to defend Gotham from its rogue’s gallery of baddies. The first gameplay revealed for Gotham Knights shows Batgirl facing off with Mr. Freeze. However, the end of the trailer indicates that the Court of Owls will take up most of the plotline as the primary antagonists.

Gotham Knights will be available on October 21 on the Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, and PC.