The latest Lego Batman game received unexpected support from the Arkham developers.

Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight launches this Friday (or Tuesday for Deluxe Edition players), and early reviews are in. Critics largely agree that this new installment is a fitting continuation of the beloved Batman: Arkham series.

After completing the game, reviewers have confirmed that the Arkham franchise influenced Legacy of the Dark Knight significantly—Rocksteady was directly involved in its development.

As noted by various sources, around twenty developers from Rocksteady are credited in Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, including a producer and several programmers. Rocksteady is known for creating Batman: Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, and Arkham Knight, along with the VR spinoff, Arkham VR. Their most recent release, 2024’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, did not receive the same acclaim as the main Arkham titles.

Warner Bros. Games Montreal also contributed to Legacy of the Dark Knight, having developed Batman: Arkham Origins and Gotham Knights, and providing support for other DC Comics titles, including Suicide Squad.

It’s not surprising to see collaboration among these studios, as Rocksteady, Warner Bros. Games Montreal, and the main developer of Lego Batman, TT Games, are all part of the same parent company. Jonathan Smith, head of the development team at TT Games, mentioned that this kind of teamwork is standard practice.

“The studios do collaborate and support each other on their projects […] We’re really pleased to be part of WB Games, and we’ve got friends and colleagues at other studios,” he shared.

In a discussion about their goals, Smith expressed the ambition to create “the definitive Batman game,” which involved overhauling combat systems, resulting in a game that feels like an Arkham title crafted from Lego bricks.