A new Gotham Knights leak suggests that the villainous Penguin will make an appearance, as well as revealing Deus Ex star Elias Toufexis will lend his voice to the legendary bird-themed gangster. WB Games Montreal’s superhero action title was first revealed with a release window of this year, but Gotham Knights was later delayed to 2022 to allow the developer more time to polish its gameplay and deliver a better product. Notably, Gotham Knights was also absent from June's E3 2021 event.
Serving as a reboot and spiritual successor to Rocksteady’s critically acclaimed Batman: Arkham series, Gotham Knights puts players in the roles of Batman’s protégées and former sidekicks Nightwing, Batgirl, Red Hood, and Robin as they band together to defend Gotham City after Bruce Wayne’s death. Much of the combat and gadget-based gameplay that Arkham series is known for will thankfully be present and accounted for. However, Gotham Knights has a co-op focus and also introduces RPG elements like gear crafting and unique skill trees for each playable hero. Gotham Knights additionally features an impressive voice cast so far, and it looks like one more name has been publicly added to that list of known talent.
The IMDB page for Gotham Knights was recently updated to include Elias Toufexis as the voice of the Penguin (via Game Rant). Some may recognize Toufexis from his many voice roles over the years, such as Deus Ex protagonist Adam Jensen, Frederico Auditore in Assassin’s Creed 2 and Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, Fortnite’s Ragnarok, and Garder from the upcoming Back 4 Blood. Neither The Penguin's appearance in Gotham Knights nor Elias Toufexis's involvement have been confirmed prior to this leak, but it appears the rapacious villain will be returning if the new information is correct.
As one of the oldest members of Batman's iconic Rogue’s Gallery, the Penguin (aka Oswald Cobblepot) has made appearances in many Batman games over the years, with the most recent and notable being his turn in the later installments of the Batman: Arkham series. So far, information regarding the villains players will be facing in Gotham Knights is scarce, but it is all but confirmed that the secret society known as the Court Of Owls will be Gotham Knights' antagonists. The tragic, ice-themed anti-villain Mr. Freeze is also slated to appear, as shown in early gameplay footage when Gotham Knights was first announced at last year’s DC Fandome event.
The Penguin is a very well-known character in the Batman mythos, so his apparent inclusion in Gotham Knights might not be that much of a shock for players - though the choice of Deus Ex’s Elias Toufexis as the voice of the cold-blooded baddie may come unexpected. It isn’t clear what Oswald Cobblepot’s role in the new game will be, but he will likely serve as an antagonist or possible boss for the heroes to face off against. In any case, players can look forward to Elias Toufexis’s take on the Penguin when Gotham Knights finally launches next year.
Gotham Knights will be available for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC in 2022.