The Early Development of Batman: Arkham Origins - Creating a Black Sheep

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#arkham #batman

[@XxHUNT3RN4T0RxX]

One thing I liked about this game is how it explained how certain characters became the way they are in Asylum, City and Knight. Bane was once a smart and brutal mercenary to a big dumb brute due to him taking the TN-1 drug which permanently damaged his brain and made him a huge roided out meathead. Killer Croc used to look more man-like until his condition got worse in later years to the point where he no longer represents a man but a reptilian monster in Arkham Knight. Origins gives more context to how characters have changed and evolved since the early days, even Batman himself.

[@WarpingFist]

Great way to explain why bane is so dumb in the later games.

[@exFAT.]

Well, that was kinda the point of the game

[@anarchemy7905]

@@WarpingFist tn-1 shouldn’t exist until asylum when joker pays dr penelope to make it Nd this modern killer croc where turns into a croc is stupid

[@MrCarpediem6]

didn't Rocksteady say there is no continuity between WB Montreal and their games..

[@anarchemy7905]

@@MrCarpediem6 they out right reference it and u can origins map in knight u can even see items from that game

[@RodRod82]

This game did Bane justice.

[@WarpingFist]

Bane in asylum and city is so pathetic lol.

[@lewisaino]

​@@WarpingFistFirefly was cool 😂😂 Then Assault on Arkham and Origins Blackgate ruined the TimeLine

[@JoJoDOOM95]

yes it did vegita!!

[@reginaldmcgrady]

Yeah, I've always said Bane was the main villain of this game.

[@ethanpickett3000]

@@lewisaino Assault on Arkham isn't canon but I think Blackgate is.

[@sup3414]

One annoying thing is that Montreal later downgraded the graphics for the final product whereas in the pre-alpha stage the lighting and details (like Batman's cape being more wrinkled) was more "next-gen" looking.

[@WarpingFist]

WB Montreal isn’t very good at optimization shown with Gotham Knights and even some parts of arkham origins which shows pretty evident frame rate drops. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that the graphical downgrading has to do with optimization. But then again I’m not very educated on this topic so I could be spewing a bunch of non sensical information.

[@inshal6420]

@@WarpingFistIm only in my second year of compsci so I’ll try but I could be wrong. Even though the games were super successful Rocksteady was a tiny developer when the first two games came out. Being a tiny studio its possible they didn’t have the best coding practices. When you are that small your priority is to just get things working and not worry about it being readable to others. This is called spaghetti code and its why Red Dead Redemption never got a PC port. They were working also working with their custom version of unreal engine. WB Montréal was given very little time and another studios code. Its possible they looked at it and went “what on earth is this” and tried figuring everything out. Rocksteady did help but still. That’s my guess on why they had so many ideas but didn’t implement them properly and why the game was so buggy.

[@NUCLEARDASH]

Deserves a remaster! I would love to see this game with next gen visuals

[@thisxgreatxdecay]

@@WarpingFist I never realized how bad the framerate drops on were until I played it on a 360. I had only played it backward-compatible on the One, and it runs great on that. Then I decided to pop my disk into my roommate's 360 just to see what it looks like on the generation of hardware it was developed for. Everything gets choppy as soon as you're fighting a mid-sized gang of mooks. The funny thing is that even though both and are WB Montreal, the development teams that worked on them are totally different from each other. I think would have been better if it was the same development team, because it would mean that they at least had experience making a Batman game and getting the gliding right.

[@thisxgreatxdecay]

@1God1Christ The theory that it was meant to be a next-gen game doesn't make much sense to me. The only reason this game was even made in the first place is because WB Interactive knew it would take Rocksteady quite a while to make the next _Arkham_ game for next-gen consoles and didn't want there to be too big a gap between _Arkham_ games, so they asked WB Montreal to make a quick stopgap while Rocksteady was working on _Knight._ If _Origins_ was originally intended to be next-gen, then it _wouldn't_ have been quicker to make than _Knight,_ which would defeat the purpose of WBI asking WBM to make it. That's why _Origins_ makes very few modifications from _City._ It was always meant to be a quick way to squeeze out another _Arkham_ game for the 360/PS3 generation using _City_ as a foundation so that WB wouldn't have to go four years without _Arkham_ money. I think the reason it was downgraded before release is the same reason this happens to most games: game devs are ambitious and want their games to have all this cool shit in it, but then they have to deal with the reality of deadlines, resources, optimization, and some features just plain not working, and end up having to cut some things out before release. So, no weather system, moving train, or playable Bane.

[@gibsonisthename]

Insane how even still after almost a decade and a half of these games being out, I’m still discovering things that I’ve never seen before… great work as always my man 🫂

[@AnulaibazIV]

1:30 Batman Arkham Origins was not meant as a “sort of spin-off!” It was meant as a prequal!

[@pian-0g445]

One of my favourite things about this game was its aesthetic. RS’ Arkham games have that very eerie and gothic style to it, with a ‘sickly’ green hue present to varying degrees. But Origins is very cold due to the Christmas setting. The game is under a cold hue, and the designs in the game also reflect of more ‘grounded’ style. RS leans into its comic influence most of the time, but the designs in origin felt like it is more ‘real’ in the designs. Interesting the different approaches in style the arkham series has had

[@tailgate8840]

I got Origins for christmas as a kid back in 2013 and i loved it, the game has a special place in my heart. Also since you are now brancing out and doing documentaries on other games I would like to see you do videos on the Mass Effect trillogy and the two Alan Wake games

[@zacharymenchaca2336]

I remember I had pre ordered the game back in early 2013, when I got home from school and saw the game already on the family room table since my mom got it on her lunch break, I was ecstatic. This game forever holds as a special place in my heart as well.

[@ricardomiles2957]

6:49 Well, at least in the comics, it's not that uncommon to see Silver Age batman stories getting somewhat adapted to current batman(even tho coming from the golden age, the now iconic bat coming through the window is an example). And considering how the Arkham games don't shy away from the more fantastical villains i could easily a silver age story being adapted

[@JohnWilliams-wl9px]

Look at Batman Zur-eh-arc (hope I spelled it right) was a silver age story of alien that admired Batman and became his home planet own Batman. But Grant Morrison reimagine it has being a split personality of Batman.

[@anarchemy7905]

@@JohnWilliams-wl9px a backup plan he created similar to backing up a phone

[@thisxgreatxdecay]

When rumours fits started coming out that the next game would be based on the Silver Age, have Joker's origin, and cameos from the Justice League, I actually thought it was a cool idea. Like the universe is something that evolved from the Silver Age to the Modern Age, just like Grant Morrison's "everything is canon and all those weird stories happened" approach. I was expecting them to do something Silver Agey but both kinda "gritty" at the same time, like maybe Batman wears bright blue and goes out during the daytime and The Joker plays pranks on people, but the stakes are still high because The Joker also kills people despite being a fun-loving clown. Like, combine the big, silly, novelty props with real danger and death.

[@ShenaniganJian]

3:43 Early Development 9:01 Story 15:42 Map/Suit 25:03 Weather Effects 29:24 Combat/Stealth

[@CaptainRex767]

The relationship start for batman and joker is amazing especially the carnival part in the hotel cos it’s just so joker ish to put Batman in that challenge

[@ALANIGHTYT]

Glad I could help you create such an amazing video! Keep up the good work man!

[@WarpingFist]

Again, thanks for the help.

[@ALANIGHTYT]

@@WarpingFistno problem man!

[@sizar9003]

“Arkham Origins is underrated!” whenever I see someone write this all I can think about is that moment from Toy Story 2 with hundreds of Buzz Lightyear’s on the shelves

[@wyldink1]

Secretly the best Arkham game. Shhh, don't let the kiddies know.

[@dcrawley507]

Origins and City are my most played Arkham games

[@WarpingFist]

City to this day is the only game I’ve completed to 100%

[@Marchew1200]

If we don't want arkham origins to be considered a "black sheep" then let's stop calling it a spin off and recognise it as an equal title in the arkham series,

[@splinterchalk]

Absolutely amazing video. Even with me being a massive Arkham fan since I was ten years old, I learned a lot of things I had never known before from this video. Arkham Origins will always hold a very special place in my heart, so learning so much of the game's development and backstory was interesting. Seeing so many in the Arkham community come together to help make this video possible was extremely nice to see and the final product was amazing!

[@WarpingFist]

Hey, thanks again for helping put this video together; your contributions were greatly appreciated.

[@adrianvargas1380]

Man, I had just been watching videos about my favorite games from years which I could say have shape dme into who I am now, and seeing your videos as a game designer student at my Uni is just so refreshing to watch. Thank you for these vids

[@tonedogy]

Legendary videos, thank you mate. The arkham series provides so many fond memories for me!

[@J_daubs]

Super happy to be a part of this video! I love this game so revisiting it to record footage was a lot of fun. Loved how the video came out! Really hope that Origins gets the remaster it deserves one day. It’s a shame it isn’t on modern consoles.

[@WarpingFist]

Thank you for helping make this video man.

[@captainredducky2151]

Been waiting for this video, pleasure working with you dude🙏🏻 my only complaint with Arkham Origins is how the map changed certain portions of Old Gotham compared to Arkham City, like the GCPD being a train station for some reason.

[@WarpingFist]

Thank you for the help. Also, I didn’t know that they changed a portion of the map in that way. I wonder what that’s about.

[@captainredducky2151]

@@WarpingFist yeah Mr.Freeze’s base in AC (which is the GCPD building) was turned into the train station in AO, And I think they even turned the building 90º lol. I think there was another changing in the Bowery area but it slipped my mind

[@JohnWilliams-wl9px]

@@captainredducky2151honestly wouldn’t be surprised the changes were because the developers were too worried of backlash of the map being too close to City’s.

[@sup3414]

You're forgetting that Arkham Origins is a PREQUEL to Arkham City. That train station later became the "old GCPD building".

[@captainredducky2151]

@@sup3414 that last part is what I keep telling myself, copium if you will

[@tobiaspegues7318]

I just bought the game for ps3 and it's pretty good; rough around the edges but that's expected from outdated console. A remastered or remake would be great

[@skeletonking1]

Sadly that won't happen, people have been asking for it and they didn't even do it for the Nintendo switch when they were gonna add the arkham trilogy, WB saw the original hate it got and basically forgot about it.

[@ezioassassain]

you should have got it on pc it doesnt need a remaster the graphics still look so good at max settings

[@Terminal_Apotos]

A remake would definitely help the game. Keep the Story EXACTLY THE SAME, do not let modern writers touch it, but improve the Gameplay.

[@zenithproductions8307]

Hope to see the early development of Arkham knight next. Great well done video/series!

[@ProjectV6]

Don't care what anyone says, this game is the best one in the series solely based on what they do for the characters. Asylum and City did NOTHING for character development. You don't see Batman or Joker actually change who they are in any meaningful way. Origins did and it's the reason it always sticks out to me.

[@patientmental875]

Look at the people who put it down, that tells you everything you need to know

[@baki484]

I'm still looking for a 360 copy of this game. I regret not getting then. The martial artists and brutes in this game are really good

[@WarpingFist]

It's too bad the martial artist doesn't return after Origins.

[@baki484]

@@WarpingFist the shadow wars dlc did improve the ninjas into something similar. I also love the enforcers.

[@BooperDooper-u8p]

I remember waiting for this game when it released. I got it somewhere in November the year when it released. I was little but I knew it was a sort of filler game. I didn't mind that it was and I enjoyed my time with it. The online was extremely underrated and fun as well.

[@lewisaino]

My first Arkham game to reserve ( Wade Wilson was worth it )

[@BATJAX]

Great vid, best boss fights in the series & best Alfred by far

[@someonewhocommentsonyoutub3779]

48:11 this appears to have carried over into Arkham Origins Blackgate, where the Explosive Gel was used to destroy far away walls, I wonder if the two games were developed at the same time and they just didn't get the memo about the Gel being left as is in the console game

[@enigmadas5]

My favorite and the best in my opinion 🔥🔥

[@WarpingFist]

Second best for me

[@neilhannan5112]

Remeber when this come out and everyone hated it and didn't like that a young Batman was played by Roger Craig Smith But Years later it's was Given the megamind effect you know a movie or a property that was notseen when it's was released but years later it Now considered a good batman game with great characters and one of the best actors for batman in my opion For Me Kevin Conory is the batman everyone knows smart badass and Morality good but robert patterison batman reminded me of Roger Craig Smith a version a young man who is angry Arrogant and sees everyone his enemies

[@WarpingFist]

I think at the time people were too focused on comparing it to rocksteady’s games. Now that we view it through the lens of an independent product instead of a part of the Arkham trilogy, it’s easier to see its strengths than how it didn’t match up to rocksteady.

[@tartankiltington]

Man, I remember reading Earth One just when it came out, never really cross my mind the similitudes it shares with origins. Also, would have loved a sloppy Batman, but then again, I understand the concerns and how unpleasant it would have been

[@TheDarkGBJ]

It's such a small thing but i absolutely love that they gave Batman a fighting stance. Also, other than the boss fights i love the martial artist enemies. They made fights feel more cinematic

[@JoeChillton]

More time goes by, the more i love this more. It's got that perfect Die Hard feel and that's one of my favorite movies.

[@davidherrera218]

WARPINGFIST POSTED A NEW VIDEO🗣🔥🙏 i Always loved the arkhamverse and loved this game🙏

[@lakotayaguy8032]

Remember playing this when I broke my knee when I was 13 around Christmas. I had surgery and was on bed rest for about a month. This game gave me good company around that time. Good times 😎🤘

[@reaganation6000]

I feel like the batman missing his punches/moves could be an interesting concept if it's done some other way. For example, maybe if batman wants to attack, the enemy momentarily dodges and gains the upper hand, then Batman will have to counter in a split second when he misses his punches. But if he fauls that particular counter, that's when he loses the combo and health . In this way, it don't just allow the maintain the flow, but gives players an extra challenge too.

[@Hugo_Tate]

Take a shot every time he says “implemented”. You’ll be dead halfway through 😂

[@itsaxel8088]

Arkham Origins is my personal favourite Arkham game.

[@purityy]

love your videos man everytime they are a banger. just finished getting the platnium trophy on asylum and city almost done knight but orgins is unobtainable. but great video man

[@skxlter5747]

We need to start a campaign to get wb games to remaster this game.

[@BlueSpams]

ONE HOUR WARPING FIST VIDEO? HELL YEA

[@kieranriley1624]

My main problem with Origins was that the story pivoted to Joker being the main villian yet again Batman has more interesting rouges then just the joker

[@robertfurby7320]

The difficulty in this game is by far one of its best replayable feature imo… city got tedious quick after being fully levelled n ng plus n such… I love the inclusion of critical counters too… it feels as if ur genuinely at risk n a still new batman

[@skullgamendraw3658]

The video I’ve been waiting for

[@tyleroutland435]

My favorite Arkham game

[@uhhhhhidk005]

warpingfist is a underrated youtuber

[@Elijah.L]

I’ve been waiting for this.😂😂

[@WarpingFist]

Ikr, this dude took so long to make this.

[@partonca4916]

Great video!

[@labenvenci1584]

I always thought this game was good. I played it on PS3 and PC. Of course they had a smaller Budget but they created something pretty good, making a proper prequel game about Batmans introduction to Joker and Bane. The expansion of Arkham City's zone and the City past the bridge was pretty nice aswell. The open world was nice and full of detail, and lots of exploration. And more replay value with it's crime system and Multiplayer mode. This game sadly will never have a remaster but least it's still available on Steam and older gen.

[@bigdawg3989]

Thank you for the great content

[@LordSleven]

I don't care what anyone else says... Arkham Origins > Arkham Knight

[@ripvanwinkle91]

Wish there was a remaster of this game, I miss playing this game

[@Spiral-Mark]

The Batman Worst Nightmare suit is freaking cool! I am fighting with you on that hill WarpingFist!

[@WarpingFist]

Glad to have you

[@alt-skin]

just makes me wish for a remastered or at least being able to play it on ps5 for a faster loading speed and a complete playable experience of all the arkham saga on one definitive platform

[@patientmental875]

Its called PC all Arkham games are Remastered & 1000 times better

[@drpeeper8326]

havent played orgins yet, still watchin ur videos bro

[@mertz7305]

This was a WONDERFUL game. Far and above better narratively thank Knight. Best suit in the entire franchise too.

[@Kumo0toko]

Ive seen lately alot of people liking origins and saying its the best Arkham game and I cant blame them really 😅

[@KillerGrim47]

I always thought it had the best story

[@spiderboi_29]

Another great video

[@dions390]

Arkham Origins would have been so much better, if WB would have allowed them to release it on the ps4. Like they originally planned to

[@damienkrawczuk1435]

It's absolutely criminal this hasn't been Remastered for the latest consoles, I absolutely love the game and still got that speccy collectors edition on my ps3 it's one of my most favourite collectors editions I own

[@MrCarpediem6]

i have a feeling Rocksteady holds some sway, and don't necesserily like that WB is having WB have Montreal develop games in between theirs.. they went so far as to say that their continuties are different??

[@pratikdodake7645]

​@@MrCarpediem6 not really, rocksteady themselves acknowledge origins and also consider it canon hence adding firefly and death stroke in knight

[@dallionaire8947]

Love this game - so sad it’s not supported on current gens

[@TheGhostFLA]

I honestly love Batman Arkham origins. It’s my favorite Arkham game.

[@markjames8603]

Love Love love this game, boss fights were hard, Deathstroke was amazing, Penguin's body guards were a stroke of genius, 2 Essex girls in white stilettos and my absolute fave moment was the Joker singing Cold, Cold Heart by Hank Williams ❤❤❤❤

[@ryszakowy]

they made absolutely great and integral part of the franchise definetly leagues better than what they did after arkham knight

[@AnulaibazIV]

4:32 Batman Arkham Knight is becoming the black sheep.

[@sebastianbelu1417]

Tbh I actually think that his suit in this game looks the most advanced suit compared to asylum and city wich I find it weird since he was a rookie batman here

[@Arakn1dz]

Origins is my favorite so far

[@ImhotepVII648]

Criminally underrated!!!

[@greendragon5682]

Wonderful video 😊

[@greendragon5682]

Thank you

[@willytjr1]

This was one of the last games to “obviously be on unreal” to me. I miss that era lol

[@AKGAMING-lm1si]

Who said this is a decent game its a masterpiece

[@yawmangaming7340]

Cool video, you deserve a sub.

[@brokefangmagepunk3685]

The biggest complaint I have about the combat system was the amount of times my combo would randomly be dropped, my stick would be pointing at my next target and bats would punch in a random direction. Other than that this game is great and never really understood the dislike for it

[@AnulaibazIV]

2:58 Two years later!

[@trashboat9035]

This guy needs more subs

[@BulbaReider77]

Peak of gaming.

[@DoritoGOD2811]

Willing to bet that the asylum is only there because it was used as a basis to build the game and was leftover from old testing stuff. I highly doubt it was ever intended to be used in the story.

[@WarpingFist]

Yeah, some people I’ve spoken to also think that’s the case. It’s more likely it was just a left over asset.

[@lppstudios3006]

That or originally they could’ve planned to use it going full circle to the tapes from Arkham asylum for when Harley and joker met (but the only problem is they broke out and caused havoc during April 1st) and sense the game takes place during Christmas it wouldn’t have made sense unless they hade more plans for origins to go beyond Christmas maybe like a DLC??

[@FreeJalen]

Babe wake up warping fist posted

[@Jujugogo0318]

Still have yet to play this game and I know how much of an injustice that is. Just wanna make sure I can give it as much time as I could the other three

[@WarpingFist]

Definitely gives this a shot when you find the time

[@Jujugogo0318]

@@WarpingFist plan on it 👍🏾 keep up the good work. Been watching for a couple years now

[@bherron98]

6:05 was I the only one who thought “Arkham World” was the big front runner for the sequel’s title?

[@WarpingFist]

I think Arkham World was some running joke in the community.

[@joy-slayer3678]

Knight! Knight! Knight!

[@sonicmoore6196]

My gripe with Origins is that I don’t like the fact that WB Montreal did false advertising of Black Mask being the main villain when it turns out its Joker again….

[@pratikdodake7645]

Rocksteady did worse with Arkham knight only to reveal him as Jason Todd

[@whitezombified]

18:58 couple decades later , yeah that would have made a lot more sense instead of the 8 years they actually made it be ☠️☠️ plotholes bigger than swiss cheese . That's the main problem with the game

[@patientmental875]

This has the best ambience out of any Batman game only casuals put it down

[@YoungBossMajor]

I bet people would love to have a origin game now lol (cough cough suicide squad)

[@coolmuzt]

My favorite Arkham game. I love the atmosphere, the Remote Claw, the time frame in which the game is set (early years), and the amazing boss fights. I'm glad that people are starting to be more vocal about how great Arkham Origins is. Btw, does anyone else get on their nerves whenever someone says "Arkham Origins is not canon" or something similar? Man I wish I could Circle > Square them in real life. Just kidding.

[@Ayyothatsbrandogaming]

Imo the faulty equipment idea would have been great. A shame it got scrapped

[@travelerluke5748]

Black sheep? It doesn't matter to me. I like it just as much as the other ones dang it.

[@KD-nk6dx]

Still the Best Arkham Game of all time😄🦇 And Gotham Knights even improved the formula and put it to the next level. WB Montreal are awesome😆

[@JRHall-uq4gs]

Next video idea - The cancelled Jak 4 game, which was considered by Naughty Dog before they made The Last of Us.

[@lewisaino]

I sometimes imagine that we got scammed by the Lost Content 😂😂😂

[@asim9568]

Rocksteady, Warner Bros Montréal & Splash Damage they all suck for not giving respect and importance to this game. 💔

[@barisbal7782]

this is my favorite and they dont even consider it as canon.

[@santinopugliese1837]

Now it’s Arkham knight time

[@WarpingFist]

Oh boy

[@santinopugliese1837]

@@WarpingFist oh no your not going anywhere old man

[@WarpingFist]

@@santinopugliese1837 damn it

[@santinopugliese1837]

@@WarpingFist something’s different about you seems like your scared of making Batman Arkham videos now

[@WarpingFist]

@santinopugliese1837 Nah, It’s just gonna take awhile to make it lol. I wouldn’t be shocked if it was an hour and twenty minutes long

[@lppstudios3006]

I have a theory for the Arkham asylum map so it goes that maybe originally they were going to use it to connect with the Arkham asylum tapes,where Harley and joker met then broke out during April 1st so far so good until you realize Arkham origins is in Christmas so either it’s a left over map that was used for testing or they were originally planning to bring you to the asylum and maybe having the game take place After Christmas maybe as a DLC or etc?

[@WarpingFist]

I like the idea of the Asylum being a dlc location. Wayne manor was included in Cold Cold Heart so they’re not against creating entire maps for DLC’s

[@lppstudios3006]

@@WarpingFist FR and if that was the case it probably means originally joker was supposed to be side lined and the rest of the game focus on the mob boss stuff while the credits could’ve hade a post credit scene teasing joker and Quinzel meeting which can lead to the DLC?? But sense Arkham origins was rushed maybe they rushed the script to having it black mask be side lined like the one we got which is a shame cause Arkham origins could’ve hade so much potential if given enough time

[@TheBlindFighter]

When Are You Doing A Video For Kong Skull Island 2017 Early Development

[@WarpingFist]

Soonish. I loved the film when it first came out, but it's been a while since I last saw it. I'd have to refresh myself on the movie first.

[@LinayatIlyas]

Guess its not the black sheep anymore lol

[@1Guason3]

Personally, I think this one is better than arkham city. Asylum being my favorite.

[@WarpingFist]

We share the same opinion

[@Dagoodtree]

They have to re-release Arkham origins

[@WarpingFist]

Never happening unfortunately but it’s nice to dream.

[@bobjoe7637]

Origins should’ve bin Apollo