CHALLENGE

To say that we're big fans of Batman is like saying that the Joker's 'kinda' crazy. From comics, to television, to the ups and downs of his movie career, we've followed the caped crusader for years. In the months preceding The Dark Knight's release, Comcast had been working with Warner Brothers to provide fans bonuses such as exclusive content, trailers, images from the film, and much more. With no official video game having yet been announced, we were of the opinion that fans would love some interactive content to sate their hunger for Dark Knight news.

STRATEGY

Narrowing down the options for an online Batman game had our creative team revisiting the lore of the World's Greatest Detective, from Arkham Asylum to the depths of the Batcave. While we were tempted to get lost in our fanboy fantasies, we knew we needed to keep the experience centered around the film, yet without providing any spoilers or revealing much more than the trailers had exposed.

Poring over the already-released posters and trailers, we nailed down a few features that seemed prevalent: the Joker, an abundance of fast and raw road action, and Batman's new two-wheeled toy, the Batpod. Our game became focused around the grittiness of the Gotham streets, so as to draw the player directly into some of the film's themes an atmospheres.

CREATIVE AND EXECUTION

Warner Brothers Pictures and Comcast were very generous with their resources, allowing us to grab images from the posters and audio bits from their trailers to help build the product. Our Fuel Sounds team recorded a dark and original score for the game, while our design and game teams created a dark, rain-slicked, tunnel to serve as the game's backdrop.

The final product, which was released on Comcast's Dark Knight tie-in site, lets players don the cape and cowl and hop onto the all-new Batpod in pursuit of street justice. With a rich, photo-realistic style, the game puts players in a race to stop the Joker and his henchmen from terrorizing Gotham City. As the street speeds toward players, they must avoid grenades and oncoming traffic, and use the Batpod’s front-mounted rifles to put a dent in the Clown Prince’s plans. If players succeed in besting the Joker, they can then invite friends to compete for a higher score.

Featuring an exciting experience that recreates the intensity of the upcoming film, the new game, which is fully playable within a browser, brings fans of The Batman deeper into the lore of one of the world’s most intriguing heroes, and the hottest movie of the summer.

RESULTS

Within a few days of its release, the game had already shot past 100,000 unique visitors with an average engagement time of 10 minutes per person. The game was featured on Joystiq, GameDaily and a slew of Batman and movie fansites, helping to keep the anticipation for the film at a red-hot and steady burn.