Canceled Batman Game From Monolith Featured Nemesis System, Arkham Series Style Combat and More

Despite being responsible for the popular games Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War, the development team at Monolith Productions had been working on a Batman game that was ultimately axed by its publisher, Warner Bros. Interactive.

According to SpideyRanger’s report on X/Twitter, the game known as Project Apollo was canceled. This open-world game allowed players to explore Gotham City using various methods such as gliding, the grappling hook from the Arkham series, and the Batmobile. It boasted features such as investigative elements, multiple gadgets, stealth sequences, and a combat system similar to that of the Arkham series. Interestingly, the highly praised Nemesis system from the Monolith-developed Lord of the Rings games was set to make its debut in Project Apollo.

The open world of Gotham could be traversed by either gliding and utilizing the grappling hook (as established in the Arkham games) or by operating the Tumbler/Batmobile. pic.twitter.com/VZKXJBFsgP

— SpideyRanger 🇬🇭 (@Dageekydude) April 3, 2024

Early stealth sequence and combat mechanics (Latter would’ve been based on the Arkham system) pic.twitter.com/18uTxPzKm6

— SpideyRanger 🇬🇭 (@Dageekydude) April 3, 2024

The game would have marked the debut of the “Nemesis System”mechanic, wherein enemies retain memories of encounters. This feature was hopefully to distinguish it from the Arkham franchise despite the other elements shared from it pic.twitter.com/jFh8hjmMME

— SpideyRanger 🇬🇭 (@Dageekydude) April 3, 2024

Despite the potential success of the game featuring Batman, Warner Bros. Interactive believed that having two franchises centered around the character was not ideal. As a result, Project Apollo was abandoned, and its most innovative concepts were incorporated into Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor.

Warner Brothers didn’t think that having two Batman gaming franchises was a great idea so the Batman game was retooled to a Lord of the Rings project and that’s how we got “Shadow of Mordor”pic.twitter.com/dkfJv2Jvua

— SpideyRanger 🇬🇭 (@Dageekydude) April 3, 2024

Despite the disappointment of Project Apollo being canceled, it was clear that having two Batman franchises was not a wise decision. However, the decision to solely focus on the Arkham series for Batman video games was a smart move, as it proved to be a huge success and was of high quality. However, recent changes at Warner Bros Interactive, with a shift towards live service games, resulted in the release of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Unfortunately, this game failed to live up to the amazing legacy of the Arkham series that Rocksteady had built.