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Monolith Productions is well known for its Lord of the Rings games, including Shadow or Modor and Shadow of War. Prior to landing on the LOTR IP, Monolith was working on something entirely different, a Batman videogame using the same version of Batman that appeared in the film trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan.
The Batman game was set in the ‘Nolanverse', a term referring to the version of Batman and Gotham City that we see in the films Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. Recently, leaked prototype footage of this game leaked online for the first time, giving us an early look at the game prior to Monolith's shift to Lord of the Rings.
The open world of Gotham could be traversed by either gliding and utilizing the grappling hook (as established in the Arkham games) or by operating the Tumbler/Batmobile. pic.twitter.com/VZKXJBFsgP
— SpideyRanger ?? (@Dageekydude) April 3, 2024
Interestingly, this prototype includes an early version of the Nemesis system, the standout mechanic from Shadow of Mordor, in which NPC characters would become mini-bosses, gaining more powerful each time they defeat the player. This mechanic worked extremely well in Shadow of Mordor, allowing any Orc on the map to become a major problem for the player. In the case of Batman, it would have been interesting to see a street-level thug rise through the ranks into true villain territory over the course of a playthrough.
Videogame researcher, Liam Robertson, previously published a video detailing other aspects of this cancelled Batman project. Apparently Monolith pivoted to LOTR after failing to grab Christopher Nolan's interest, leading to struggles getting approvals for things like design changes.
Ultimately, Monolith found its feet with its Middle-Earth titles. Soon, Monolith will be returning to the DC universe again to try its hand at a new superhero game, starring Wonder Woman.
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KitGuru Says: Given that Rocksteady had already begun establishing the Arkhamverse when Monolith's Batman project was in development, pivoting to a different IP was for the best. I'm also not sure extending the film universe with games would have been the best move either, as it would have put some major limitations on plot and characters.
