No multiplayer/co-op for Batman: Arkham City

Batman: Arkham City is a single-player experience and won’t offer multiplayer or cooperative elements, Rocksteady founder Sefton Hill has told IGN.

There had been rumours that the superhero sequel would offer a co-op experience, with a second player assuming the role of another character from DC Comics’ Batman universe – a bizarre video even suggested Batman would team up with The Joker.

“There have been a number of rumours circulating about a multiplayer mode in Batman: Arkham City so let me start by saying, once and for all, that Batman: Arkham City is a ‘single-player only’ experience,” said Hill.

“Our thought process behind this was fairly simple: when we investigated adding multiplayer we asked, ‘If we use all of the energy that is required to create multiplayer and instead focus this on the single player, would that deliver a better overall game?’

“With the game now coming to the final stages, I can honestly say it would not have been possible to deliver Arkham City the way we wanted to if we’d have added multiplayer.”

Hill concluded: “So it might not be the fashionable choice, it might not get us an extra tick on the box, but we are convinced, and we hope that gamers will agree when they get to play the finished game, that we have made the right decision.”

Arkham Asylum did pretty well for itself by offering only a single-player experience, so we’re undecided if an additional co-op element would have been a good thing. If developing multiplayer would have had a negative effect on the main game then we’re glad Rocksteady opted to leave it out.