Footage for Project Apollo, a canceled video game inspired by Christopher Nolan’s Batman films and Christian Bale’s version of the Dark Knight, has been available to watch on the Internet Archive since December 2022 thanks to an anonymous uploader, Batman fans have learned. Monolith Productions, the developer behind the project, ended up turning the game into what ultimately became Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, which launched in 2014 with the then-new Nemesis system, it’s said.
Links to some of the gameplay/menu footage:
- Apollo Early Test [GyY_jadBrRA].mp4
- Apollo Minigame Prototypes [4yOw7BuQ3xI].mp4
- BE UI Highlights [J9teWw59ObY].mp4
A preview of the content, including the “Tumbler” Batmobile and similarities with Rocksteady’s Arkham titles:
The open world of Gotham could be traversed by either gliding and utilizing the grappling hook (as established in the Arkham games) or by operating the Tumbler/Batmobile. pic.twitter.com/VZKXJBFsgP
— SpideyRanger 🇬🇠(@Dageekydude) April 3, 2024
A look at gadget loadouts, and more similarities with Rocksteady’s games:
Early stealth sequence and combat mechanics (Latter would've been based on the Arkham system) pic.twitter.com/18uTxPzKm6
— SpideyRanger 🇬🇠(@Dageekydude) April 3, 2024
SpideyRanger noted:
Warner Brothers didn’t think that having two Batman gaming franchises was a great idea so the Batman game was retooled to a Lord of the Rings project and that’s how we got “Shadow of Mordor.”
DidYouKnowGaming suggests that Nolan is partially to blame for its cancellation:
…while production was ramping up on the third Nolan Batman movie, monolith’s undertaking had been unable to get off the ground…without Nolan’s involvement or approval, the project found itself at an impasse. Word from former staff on why monolith had not received the go-ahead from him varies…some claim the filmmaker simply had no interest in it, wanting to focus on his own works like The Dark Knight Rises…