Following quickly on the revelation below (story) comes the official announcement of Arkham Asylum, which is due for Windows, Xbox 360, and PS3 next year:

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Aug 13, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Eidos Interactive and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment on behalf of DC Comics announce Batman: Arkham Asylum, a dark, action-packed videogame adventure for Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system and Games for Windows in 2009.

In Batman: Arkham Asylum, developed by Rocksteady Studios, the player assumes the role of Batman as he delivers The Joker to Arkham Asylum. There, the imprisoned super-villains have set a trap and an immersive combat gaming experience unfolds. With an original script penned by Emmy Award-winning Batman writer Paul Dini, the game brings the universe of DC Comics' detective to life with stunning graphics.

"In Batman: Arkham Asylum Eidos and Warner Bros. are building a true action adventure game experience worthy of gamers and fans," said Phil Rogers, CEO of Eidos Interactive. "Players become Batman, like he has never been seen before in a video game, as he fights through intense circumstances in Arkham Asylum utilizing his intuitive detective skills and aggressive melee attacks."

"Batman: Arkham Asylum offers players the chance to battle Gotham's worst villains with Batman's physical and psychological strength in a graphically distinct and story-driven game," said Martin Tremblay, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. "We look forward to working with Eidos on expanding DC Comics' world-renowned character Batman in the game space with a noticeably different feature set in an incredibly dark interactive environment."

Eidos Interactive and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment will co-publish Batman: Arkham Asylum in North America, Eidos Interactive will publish the game in all other territories.