Blazing GriffinA Glasgow studio has said it was “incredibly honoured” to create a new video game based on iconic superhero Batman for Amazon.
Blazing Griffin, based in Kinning Park, is behind the latest Batman release for Amazon Luna, called Batman: Caped Crusader – Chronicles, coinciding with the release of season two of the TV show.
The game uses a narrative-driven gameplay, according to Neil McPhillips, co-head of games at Blazing Griffin.
Set over 11 standalone episodes, up to four players can play the game, which involves players using their phones to solve puzzles, interact with characters or even diffuse a bomb.
The project was two years in the making for Neil and his team of around 45 developers, working in collaboration with the team from Amazon and DC Comics.
Neil said the team was “incredibly honoured” when first approached and entrusted with a well-known character such as Batmam.
Blazing GriffinHe told STV News: “I was gobsmacked to be able to take on something like this; it was a childhood dream.”
“We got to work with Bruce Timm, who worked on the Batman animated series in the 1990s, on 11 episodes which were made into a playable experience.
“It was really cool to basically make an interactive season of a Batman TV show, we called it the unofficial third season.”
Neil said while they stayed true to the Batman character, some creative decisions were allowed to align with what Amazon were looking for.
Blazing GriffinGame launched after two years of development
“It’s like a 1940s noir detective story, where they’ve redefined the character, for example, the Penguin is a woman.
“They came to us and said you can pick which villains you want to use, but you have to go into the archives, pull them out and design them to fit in with our universe.”
The biggest challenge for Neil and his team was the technical aspect: creating 30 different interfaces for use on a person’s phone.
Batman and Glasgow have a close connection, as the city was used as the setting for several scenes in the upcoming The Batman: Part II movie, due to be released in 2028.
The city has previously played host to several adaptions of the Batman universe, including the 2022 Batman film and the unreleased Batgirl TV series.
Blazing GriffinDuring a trip to Glasgow, the team at Amazon were shown around various filming locations, including the Necropolis, by staff at Blazing Griffin.
Batman: Caped Crusader – Chronicles has been ranked highly on the Luna platform
Neil said the game has been the studio’s “biggest project to date” and that the team is “proud” of the work that went into it.
He added: “We’ve had some companies reach out following the game’s release, wanting to work with us, so it’s really helped us.
“I think the quality of the game speaks for itself, and to be trusted to steward such a character was very rewarding.”
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