Batman: Arkham Origins announced for current-gen consoles, releasing in October

After months of rumors, Warner Bros. has finally announced Batman: Arkham Origins, the next title in the publisher's popular Batman: Arkham franchise. The game was announced as the May cover story for GameInformer, but we do have our first bits of information.

As the name suggests, Arkham Origins takes place years before both of the previous Batman: Arkham titles. It won't tell the story of Batman's beginnings or the beginning of Arkham Asylum; rather, it will explore Batman's first encounters with certain villains. Eight of the "best assassins in the world" come to Gotham City to kill Batman. Yes, this will be the first Arkham game set on the streets of Gotham City.

Setting isn't the only change. Warner Bros. will be taking over development duties with its own in-house studio, Warner Bros. Games Montreal. Although Rocksteady Studios is no longer involved, the new development team is still using many of the assets that Rocksteady as used in the past, including Rocksteady's modified Unreal engine. Eric Holmes, lead designer of games including The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction and Prototype, is heading up the project.

While that is all that's been revealed thus far, be sure to check back later this month as more Batman: Arkham Origins news becomes public. Arkham Origins is currently development for the PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U, and slated for release on October 25, 2013. There's been no mention of next-gen consoles.

Check out the cover of the May issue of GameInformer below.