There was a lot of speculation on where, exactly, Rocksteady's award-winning Batman: Arkham series could go after Arkham City wrapped up. Would it be an open-world Gotham featuring all of the characters that left with more unanswered questions than closure, like Hush or Azrael? Was the Joker really dead? Where is Scarecrow? Will Bane and Deadshot escape their temporary prisons? And what of Killer Croc?

Unfortunately none of these questions will be answered any time soon. It's not all doom and gloom though, as overnight Warner Bros officially unveiled Batman: Arkham Origins, though many of us you might be worried to hear the project is not helmed by Rocksteady, but rather Warner Bros Montreal.

A Metroid-styled 2.5D side-scroller is also in development called Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, this is being developed by Armature Studios, which is made up of members from the original Metroid Prime trilogy team at Retro Studios. Both games are due out on their respective platforms October 25, 2013.

The game is the subject of the next Game Informer magazine, gracing its cover. Trickles of information have already made their way down to the rest of us though, including news the game-world will be roughly twice the size of Arkham City, and will actually feature many landmarks from that game in their correct locations, though obviously not surrounded by prison walls or flooded and destroyed.

The game's main antagonist will be Black Mask who has orchestrated a city-wide manhunt for Batman among the authorities, but seems to have also invited eight of the world's deadliest assassins to join in, and all of this takes place on Christmas eve, no less. The first assassin we know of is Deathstroke.

Apparently this younger Batman will be able to get around in the Batwing (what, no Batmobile?), and will face numerous foes and friends for the first time as he builds towards a defining moment in his early crime-fighting career. There will also be a lot of side-questing involving heady detective work, among much more. From the press release:

Taking place before the rise of Gotham City’s most dangerous criminals, the game showcases a young and unrefined Batman as he faces a defining moment in his early career as a crime fighter that sets his path to becoming the Dark Knight. As the story unfolds, players will meet many important characters for the first time and forge key relationships.

We'll have more on the game as information becomes available, and there's a Game Informer video you can watch we've embedded below as well as a few pieces of artwork and a handful of screens from the upcoming issue. Stay tuned for more.