Batman: Arkham Knight Delayed

Image Sources: Polygon & Paste

A familiar foe waits in the wings for the Caped Crusader, one who employs the enigmatic pseudonym of 'the Setback'...
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment have this week announced a delay in the release schedule of their upcoming open-world action-adventure video game Batman: Arkham Knight. Crafted and honed by Rocksteady Studios, the much-anticipated title will form the final instalment in the development studio's best-selling trilogy of small-screen adaptations of the Caped Crusader's graphically novelised escapades atop the rooftops of Gotham City.

Now, in fairness, the news that Arkham Knight will be shifting to a 2015 release date isn't completely new by any means - in fact, Rocksteady did go ahead and reveal that their latest (and perhaps greatest - time will tell) invention would hit stores in "early 2015" shortly after Sony unveiled a technologically astounding new game-play demo (which we've included below for old time's sake) at their Electronic Entertainment Expo conference in June. That won't stop fans (ourselves included) from feeling somewhat short-changed by the final official launch date, however, since they'll have to wait nearly half of next year to get their hands on a finished product which we were originally promised would ship a lot earlier. Development hitches and Rocksteady's attention to detail are sure to have been the primary causes of the aforementioned shift, but the real question will be whether Batman's extensive fandom will rally behind the Dark Knight's next foray into the realms of video gaming after this sudden change of plans. Collector's Editions such as those which have just been announced (screenshots of which can be glimpsed below this text) are all well and good for series veterans and June may well be an ideal time for the product to ship as a result of the relatively limited number of industry competitors set to launch their blockbuster titles at that precise point in time, yet the onus is now on Rocksteady to confirm that the extended wait will eventually seem worthwhile for the mainstream community of easily-deterred followers.

Batman: Arkham Knight accelerates onto PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on June 2nd, 2015. Whereas the standard version of the title will ship for approximately £50, the Limited Edition iteration (pictured below) will ship for around $100 (£80-90) and the Collector's Edition set (ditto) will go one step further by boasting a $200 (£170-90) RRP. Holy asking price, Batman!