The upcoming CW series Gotham Knights will have a similar premise to the video game of the same name currently in development at WB Games Montréal—but is the TV show based on the game? Both properties will feature a Gotham City without Batman, though his protégés will nevertheless defend Gotham from its notorious criminal element. Despite sharing a name and a nearly identical premise, the two are ultimately separate properties.
The Gotham Knights video game, which is set to release in the fall of 2022, will star an ensemble cast of Batman’s former sidekicks: Dick Grayson's Nightwing, Barbara Gordon as Batgirl, Tim Drake's Robin, and Jason Todd as the Red Hood. With Batman and Commissioner Gordon dead, Gotham is seeing a significant rise in crime, necessitating the four heroes to continue their mentors’ mission. The key differences between the Gotham Knights TV show and the video game are the ensemble casts and slight differences between their respective premises.
While the Gotham Knights video game will star arguably the four most famous members of the Bat Family, the TV show will feature an original character, Turner Hayes, as the late Bruce Wayne’s adopted son, along with Batman Family members Harper Row (a.k.a. Bluebird), her brother Cullen Row, and the less obscure Batman Family members Stephanie Brown and Carrie Kelley. Both Gotham Knights properties will have the pupils of a deceased Batman protect Gotham City, but the TV show will have the additional plot point of Turner Hayes being framed for killing his father and being pursued by Harvey Dent. The upcoming TV show and the highly anticipated video game may have a similar jumping-off point, but it's clear the two will use that setup to tell very different stories.
The overarching antagonists of the Gotham Knights video game are, collectively, the Court of Owls, an ancient secret society of some of Gotham’s most elite citizens who secretly control the city. The logline for the Gotham Knights TV series alludes to a greater conspiracy behind Bruce Wayne’s death, but it’s not clear if the Court of Owls will appear in the show. Assuming the Court of Owls is somehow involved in Wayne’s death, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the two Gotham Knights properties will depict them the same way.
Both iterations of Gotham Knights are, ultimately, based on the near-century of Batman stories in various mediums. Given the number of iconic villains and memorable Batman Family members, it is rather easy for more than one property to share a similar premise but use completely different approaches to it. The Gotham Knights TV series is not based on the video game but used different characters and storylines from the Batman mythos to tell original stories, despite sharing a name and basic premise.