In The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger’s Joker enjoyed forcing his victims to make impossible choices that would ultimately destroy them. In that way, it’s fitting that the fate of the video game adaptation of The Dark Knight also came down to a choice: EA could either release a substandard game on a ridiculous deadline or cut its losses after two years and millions of dollars of development. EA ultimately chose the latter.

A new video created by Liam Robertson for Unseen64 has an extended look at the creation of the would-be Dark Knight video game and an in-depth examination about why it was ultimately canceled. There is some footage from the game in the video, as well as the planned locations and character designs. But it seems like far less material than there should be for a game that had so much lead time.

Pandemic Studios had early access to Christopher Nolan’s script and designs, as well as the actors from the film, who recorded new material for the game. In theory, this was a winning combination. But in reality, the game’s development was plagued by several problems. Perhaps the most devastating setback was the fact that the project’s chosen game engine, Odin, was largely incompatible with the elements and gameplay created by Pandemic.

This project didn’t lack proper drive; Pandemic had ambitious plans to create the first Batman game with an open-world Gotham City. But it never came to fruition. The failure of this game eventually led to the blockbuster Batman: Arkham series, which redefined what a Batman video game could be.

Do you think that EA made the right call regarding The Dark Knight video game? Let us know in the comment section below!

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HT: ScreenRant
Image Credit: EA Games/DC Entertainment