Batman: Arkham hits third base...

A new Batman: Arkham game has been announced, but will it mimic the success of the first two games in the series?

The new instalment, Batman: Arkham Origins will be developed by Warner Bros. Games Montreal, a departure from the developer of the previous two titles, Rocksteady.

Set on Christmas Eve, the game will be a prequel to the other games and feature a host of new villains, including the assassin Deathstroke and main antagonist Black Mask.

If you remember correctly, Black Mask features briefly at the beginning of Arkham City being beaten up by some guards. Interestingly enough he is also the only character in the game to have ever escaped from the city; perhaps another sequel is being prepared.

Or maybe I'm reading a lot into it.

Apparently the game won't differ too much from the others in the series as Warner Bros. Montreal still has full access to the modified Unreal engine utilised by Rocksteady for the previous entries.

Of course the game is still set in Gotham, however the city will be divided into Old and New Gotham, the former the dark, dingy place we're familiar with, the latter a classier, more upmarket neighbourhood that will be new to everyone.

On the plus side, there's twice as much Arkham City as there was in the last game – that's a lot of city.

The coolest thing here, I think, will be playing as retro-Batman. If the game is set 15 years before Arkham City, I'm assuming the suit must be a little more old-school, much like the Batman I grew up with.

If you loved Arkham City as much as I did, you probably purchased the extra skins, which did include some retro outfits for the world's greatest detective. And they all looked awesome.

Looking forward to more Batman? Tell us how much in the comments.