Heavily rumored for some time, Warner Bros and TT Games (
Lego Star Wars) have officially confirmed
Lego Batman for multiple platforms for a 2008 launch.
According to an official statement, Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment will serve as the game’s North American publisher, including all sales and distribution functions, and the game is being developed for "next-generation and current generation platforms and the PC".
Gamasutra spoke to Traveller's Tales development director Jonathan Smith on the deal, following
a Variety report that commented that Warner Bros. had "nabbed" the company to make the game, which led some to believe an acquisition was implied - which is not the case.
Smith explained that parent company TT Games itself owns the interactive entertainment rights for the Lego franchise, and it was they who initially approached Warner Bros., owners of the DC Comics property. The deal is in the form of a publishing contract for North American territories, apparently leaving European publishing rights still unannounced - though UK-headquartered publisher Eidos has previously distributed Lego games in that territory.
As for the future of the Lego franchise on consoles, with the lucrative
Lego Star Wars II sequel recently released, alongside the Lego original property
Bionicle Heroes, Smith , who
was profiled for Gamasutra back in 2006, noted that Star Wars and Batman already exist as Lego toy sets, making both of them natural choices for Lego games.
In addition, however, he indicated that several other Lego-related game projects were under discussion. These would include both other licensed brands and original Lego products, though specifics have not yet been released.
