Telltale’s R-Rated Batman Adventure Arrives This Summer

Telltale Games' Batman is coming for you and he's coming this summer. During the "Batman: Telltale Unmasked" panel at SXSW today, Telltale's team gathered to discuss the game in (little) detail, offering a bit of insight into what to expect from its second DC Comics adventure game. While much of the game is still very much under wraps, Telltale did spill the beans on the release window. Summer might not be a definitive timeline, but there are several major conventions during those few months wherein a more concrete announcement might take place.

The other major reveal was more about the tone of the upcoming Batman adventure, which will stay very much in line with previous Telltale games like The Wolf Among Us and The Walking Dead. While this won't be the first time a potentially "M" rated Batman game will see release, the panel compared it to an R-rated film, which may raise some eyebrows. There's been a bit of consternation around the director's cut of the upcoming Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice feature, and knowing that Telltale's game might be in that same vein might turn a few fans off.

Telltale's Batman writers Nick Herman and Pierre Shorette were joined by executive producer TQ Jefferson, CEO Kevin Bruner, and head of creative communications Job Stauffer on the panel. This upcoming game will attempt to get to the core of who Bruce Wayne is, and while there's no set ratio of Bruce:Batman in place, the team is trying to make it more about Bruce. You will however get some say in which of the Dark Knight's personas deal with certain decisions. This will in turn impact later elements, a staple of the Telltale formula, and help shape your own personal version of Gotham City.

While you can't completely avoid being Batman or Bruce for the entirety of the game, Telltale's Batman will still let you play each version of the character how you wish. Want to stay silent as Batman and just be an imposing creature of the night? You'll be able to do that. Want to make Batman a chatty detective who monologues people into submission? The choice is yours.

Brunner also shed some light on the design of the game, explaining that Telltale's Batman would debut a lot of new technology for the developer's upcoming library. "It's an evolution creatively and technologically," Brunner said. The team is pulling from the character's rich 75 year history to inform the look of the world, which Stauffer said will look like a comic come to life. Creators like Jim Lee, Greg Capullo, Neal Adams, Adam Kubert, and Bob Kane are inspiring the look and feel of Gotham, but when the game arrives it will still be a wholly unique Batman that is undeniably Telltale's.

Though the villains are being kept under lock and key, as are the voice actors, fans can expect supporting cast members like Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, Renee Montoya (natch) and Vicki Vale to play a role. Don't get too excited for more of the Bat-family to show up though. This game is focused on Bruce, and as such won't really delve into the possible sidekicks and supporting heroes. It's still a bit unclear when in Batman's history this game takes place, but given the hints that players will be able to shape certain relationships, it seems as if Telltale is going to be early in Bruce's crime-fighting career.

No new images or footage was shown, but a picture of the most recent draft of the script was shown off. It's pretty massive. That's to be expected though given the number of choices players can potentially make and to fit all of those dialogue trees.

Oh, and though the panel was all about the Bat, Telltale did offer that the unnamed Marvel video game is still in development. It's now on track for a 2017 release. Hopefully we'll learn more about both games in the coming months.