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In the lead-up to LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight’s launch, we got to have a chat with Matt Ellison of TT Games, who served as the game’s Executive Producer.
On the call, we discussed the studio’s return to Batman, putting their own twist on the Arkham formula, collaborating with Warner Bros. on the game’s best Batman deep cuts, and how the game honours the late Kevin Conroy.
Matt Ellison: It’s been a surprisingly long time since we last made a Batman game, over 10 years, so the time felt right to come back and tell a new story with the character. It gave us the opportunity to do something different, really focus on Batman, and explore him further and deeper than we have before.
Matt: It’s helped us push further technologically, especially on the graphical side. There’s always a learning curve when using a new engine, but it’s a challenge we’ve been excited by, and we’re really pleased with the end result.
Yes, we very much looked to the Arkham games. We’re under the WB umbrella, so we have a close relationship there already. We took inspiration from them, especially with combat. They laid the groundwork for making players feel like they are Batman, and that’s something we wanted to achieve too.
Obviously, our game is different. We’ve made the combat more accessible for a younger audience and added fun, comic twists to the takedowns to lighten things up. But that feeling of being Batman, being powerful, using gadgets, mastering combat and stealth, was something we were keen to capture.
Matt: We take inspiration from all different Batman media, games, films, TV shows, and comics, and pull deep cuts from all of it. We also work very closely with DC, and they know the material better than anyone. If they see an opportunity for us to reference something, they’ll let us know.
But it’s not just one person. Ideas can come from anywhere. If it’s a good idea, it’s a good idea, and we’re always trying to push that side of things.
Matt: We haven’t said much about Switch 2 yet, but it is coming, and I’ve played it. It’s good. I can’t reveal too much in terms of specifics, but it’s a platform we’re very excited about. We want to make sure that version is as strong as it can be, and we’re looking forward to getting it into people’s hands.
Matt: It was great fun getting Matt Berry into the game. Casting was something we looked at very carefully. One of the other cool castings is Colin McFarlane as Jim Gordon. He played Commissioner Loeb in The Dark Knight films, so it was great to have him involved. He did a fantastic job, and we’re really pleased with the quality of the voice acting across the game.
Matt: We worked with Kevin on LEGO DC Super-Villains, and I had the pleasure of meeting him at Comic-Con. He played Batman in that game, so we have that legacy of working with him, and it was a real privilege.
Sadly, he couldn’t continue with this one, but we do have some Easter eggs related to him to honour him. I won’t spoil what they are, but it’s something for players to find.
Matt: We treat every game on its own merits because each one has different objectives. The Skywalker Saga retells a lot of films. This game takes a different approach.
This one is very story-focused. We built the story early on, and everything else revolves around that. It merges together lots of different things in a way that suits Batman and helps us tell an original story, our definitive version of Batman.
There’s something here for super fans, but also for younger players who might be discovering Batman for the first time.
Matt: I’ve worked here for 18 years and worked on a lot of different franchises, so I’d definitely love to revisit some of them. Who knows what the future brings? If this one is a success and people love what we’ve done, we’ll see what opportunities present themselves. For now, we’re focused on making sure we do this one right.