batman-arkham-knight-screenshot-04-ps4-us-04jun14Batman: Arkham Knight is the fourth entry in the critically acclaimed Arkham series and continues the story Rocksteady began in 2009 with Arkham Asylum.  As with their previous two games,  SpeedTree was used to add foliage to the dark streets of Gotham.

Beginning inside the walls of the infamous Arkham Asylum, each game has expanded the range of Batman’s patrol.  Arkham Asylum locked you into the twisted grounds of the famous prison for the criminally insane. After the catastrophic events of that game the whole island of Arkham became “Arkham City”, a dystopia on the outskirts of Gotham that you had to bring to order. Arkham Knight goes even further, letting you loose in the whole of Gotham complete with a batmobile/bat-tank to assist you in bringing the city to order/blowing up lots of stuff.  With towering gothic buildings and wide city streets, Rocksteady has done an amazing job giving the city a sense of scale.  If Arkham Asylum gave you a brief taste of being Batman, Arkham Knight will have you whispering to yourself, “I am Batman”.

Even though it takes place completely within the urban-noir confines of Gotham, the city is still populated with patches of trees and grass.  These small touches on the peripheral of the game experience act as an extra landmark lending a distinct personality to certain subareas of the game.

SpeedTree has been the tool of choice for AAA and indie studios alike to create immersive landscapes and cities due to its balance of artistic control and efficiency, allowing artists to create quickly and implement foliage into their game.

Check out the trailer below and be sure to check out our products for game studios, architects, and vfx artists.

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