The ‘Lego Batman’ Devs Want to Make a New, Definitive Bat-Game

September 20 is Batman Day, and what better way to celebrate the occasion than with a new video for his next big game?

WB and Traveler’s Tales released a behind-the-scenes video devoted entirely to the making of Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight. Revealed during Gamescom in August, the title takes players on the character’s journey into the superhero we all know, blending together different elements of his live-action and comics incarnations into a new spin on his origin and evolution.

The video doesn’t reveal anything new or insightful about TT’s approach to Batman—it’s made a lot of Lego games over the years, and Legacy of the Dark Knight is its fourth Bat-specific one—but it’s a solid eight minutes of the team swearing they’re doing their homework. The Batman and Dark Knight trilogy are both cited as key reference points alongside Batman: The Animated Series and a lot of comics.

Interestingly, the game starts with a young Bruce Wayne the evening before his parents are killed, then transitions over to his time training in the League of Shadows—something previous games like Arkham Origins and Arkham City have touched on through nightmare sequences or DLC.

If there’s one thing the video makes clearer than ever, it’s that the Arkham games really do cast a long shadow over Batman. Combat, using the Batmobile, and even grappling around Gotham all look very similar to how they were in Rocksteady’s franchise. That may end up working in the game’s favor, since as James Gunn notes, Lego is all about creativity regardless of age and skill level. What excites him most about Legacy is its potential to help players who’ve “never experienced Batman in a personal way get to play this game and have their own connection to him and the DC universe.”

Taking the gameplay and material from films and comics, then putting them in an all-ages gloss may be the smartest play for a character DC hopes to eventually reinvigorate on the big screen while still playing to his dark and gritty strengths. We’ll see how that fares when Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight comes to PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch in 2026.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.