GAME · 2009 · UK
Batman: Arkham Asylum
- Developer
- Rocksteady Studios
- Publisher
- Eidos Interactive
- Platforms
- PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, macOS
60 archived facts 7 topics 3 sources Last reviewed Nov 2026
60 Interesting Facts About Batman: Arkham Asylum
Interesting Facts (22)
- #001
There is an amusement ride on Australia's Gold Coast at Warner Brothers Movie World themed to the game. A suspended looping coaster with VR connection, the ride simulates the Joker and Harley's shock therapy, including trains themed to electric chairs and a queue containing Titan formula and character Bios.
- #002
The sound of the explosive gel gadget when you use it was actually taken from a whipped cream can being used.
- #003
The creators of the game decided that in order to have the voice acting top-notch, they'd use seasoned Batman actors from Batman: The Animated Series (1992). Kevin Conroy reprised his role as Batman in the game; as did Mark Hamill, who voiced The Joker; and Arleen Sorkin, who provided the voice of Harley Quinn. Although Conroy and Hamill would continue to voice their characters in the series, Sorkin's voice for Harley Quinn is replaced by Tara Strong after this game.
- #004
Coincidentally, the actor voicing the Joker has the word "Arkham" hidden in his name (mARK HAMill).
- #005
Mark Hamill voiced thousands of different lines of dialogue for the Joker, while Kevin Conroy voiced relatively few in comparison for Batman.
- #006
The Joker uses a Taurus Raging Bull revolver.
- #007
GameStop ran a contest to have a person's likeness included in the game. The winner, Luke Oliver, can be scene in a cell pacing back and forth in the area of the penitentiary where Clayface's cell is. Oliver's name is also on Joker's "party list".
- #008
Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze was considered to be put in the game. But despite the developers wanting to put him in, he was ultimately scrapped as he had no real motivation to fight either Batman or Joker. His cell, however, does appear in the penitentiary building.
- #009
One of Scarecrow's audio recordings mentions Dr. Murphy and Dr. Combs. Cillian Murphy played Scarecrow in Christopher Nolan's Batman films, while Jeffrey Combs voiced Scarecrow in later episodes of The New Batman Adventures and in the game Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu.
- #010
At the end of the credits there is a short cutscene that randomly gives the player one of three endings: a villain's hand suddenly grabs a box floating in the water; this could be Scarecrow, Killer Croc or Bane. According to Rocksteady, the 'official' ending belongs to Scarecrow, who survived even though he was thought to have been torn apart by Killer Croc early in the game; indeed, he appears with an extremely terrifying and grotesque look in the newest Arkhamverse game, Batman: Arkham Knight.
- #011
When you are exposed to Scarecrow's fear gas for the third time, the game pretends to crash and restart. Rocksteady conceived this as a way of exploring what the player's greatest fear would be while under the fear gas: getting very far in a game, having it crash and losing your progress.
- #012
The game's version of Arkham Asylum is heavily influenced by its comic book counterpart, carrying strong elements from Alan Grant's stories, the 'Arkham Asylum: Hell on Earth' limited series and especially Grant Morrison's graphic novel 'Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth'.
- #013
Batman: Arkham Asylum was remastered for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 as part of the Batman: Return to Arkham Collection. When the remaster was first announced on 18 May 2016, the noticeable graphical downgrades and stylistic changes drew such a backlash that the release date was pushed back from 26 July 2016 to 21 October 2016. Although the final product looked better than the footage in the announcement trailer, many of the stylistic changes remained and left fans disappointed. The most noticeable of these changes were in the character models; in particular, Joker was presented with a younger skin and color palette, unlike the older design in the original.
- #014
Many characters who never appear but leave traces through the Riddles take on significant roles in the sequel. For example, the player can find Catwoman's whip and goggles in one display case, Penguin's top hat and various umbrellas in another, the cells of Mr. Freeze, Two-Face and Clayface, a series of case files written by Hugo Strange, and a duty roster listing Dr. Thomas 'Hush' Elliot as an employee. Ra's al Ghul's corpse even appears in the morgue, but disappears when the player returns.
- #015
While rescuing Dr. Penelope Young, you hear her say that she told the guards to let her speak directly with Joker, a foolish request not expected from an ordinary hostage. However, it could be expected from someone who had unknowingly done business with him and wanted to quietly and privately resolve this incriminating situation.
- #016
Various design choices indicate that the game actually takes place in rainy weather. It rains in the opening scene, lightning flashes are seen while Batman is inside the Medical Facility, and many guards and inmates wear raincoats. The game may have originally been planned to include rain effects, but they were removed due to performance issues. In Batman: Return to Arkham, however, there is rain during free roam; this is either a response to the rain in the opening and the Medical Facility or the addition of effects that were previously impossible and are now permitted by improved hardware.
- #017
At Warner Brothers Movie World in Australia's Gold Coast region, there is a roller coaster themed to the game. A VR-connected, suspended, looping coaster, the ride simulates Joker and Harley's shock therapy; it features electric-chair-themed cars and a queue containing the Titan formula and character biographies.
- #018
Titan Joker's design was initially going to be very different. According to Carlos D'Anda: 'I initially imagined him as more of a 'spidery' creature than anything else... a hideous-looking monster with disjointed joints, like something out of an Aphex Twin video...' In the end, however, he had to make Titan Joker resemble the other, more muscular Titans.
- #019
The surprise behind Joker's plan to fight Batman using the Titan formula is strikingly similar to the Brawn (2005) comic, in which Joker fights Batman after seizing Bane's venom formula.
- #020
In the penitentiary, on the floor below where Batman finds Warden Quincy Sharp, you can find Clayface's cell. He initially appears as Aaron Cash, banging on the glass and begging Batman to rescue him. But if you turn around and come back, Cash is replaced by Commissioner Jim Gordon, who says nothing to Batman and simply laughs. If you look with Detective Mode/Vision, you can see that he has no skeleton. It is also the answer to one of the Riddles, and scanning him unlocks Clayface's character biography.
- #021
At one point, a security guard angrily confronts the Joker over the deaths of three of his friends while the Joker is being taken back to Arkham after his previous escape; the Joker is only surprised that he managed to kill three people and says that on his next escape he will improve his score by killing 100 more. By the end of the game, he has indeed killed more than 100 people in Arkham.
- #022
Contains a major spoiler — show
Scarecrow being in the game was kept a secret as to surprise players. Also, when the player encounters Scarecrow for the final time, the game makes it seem like Scarecrow is messing with our heads as well when the game appears to glitch, crash and restart. This is a sham as the new opening sequence has several things out of place: "BATMAN MIGHT BE ESCAPING PATIENT" sign the upside down messed up batsignal Joker driving Batman in the batmobile to Arkham Scarecrow being the receiving Doctor Finally, the Joker kills the player by then saying to move "the middle stick" to avoid Jokers lethal shot. This is also a sham since there is no "middle stick" Once you select restart, Batman emerges from a makeshift grave and starts the final Scarecrow mini-game. Upon completion, the game will continue as it is supposed to. Also, in place of the Blackgate inmates being escorted by Arkham guards, we now see Commissioner James Gordon, Head Gaurd Aaron Cash, Warden Quincy Sharp and Dr. Penelope Young being escorted by Joker's thugs.
Production Story (14)
- #023
The character of Jervis Tetch/The Mad Hatter was planned to appear as a villain in a children's hedge maze. He and the maze were scrapped early in production as there was no place for either of them in the game's plot.
- #024
The very first iteration of the game was "a full rhythm action game". The second version was 2D, only the combat was rhythm-based and "involved coloured circles bashing into each other". This eventually evolved into the current Freeflow system.
- #025
Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze was considered to be put in the game. But despite the developers wanting to put him in, he was ultimately scrapped as he had no real motivation to fight either Batman or Joker. His cell, however, does appear in the penitentiary building.
- #026
Joker's early design featured him wearing a "mad scientist" outfit to co-ordinate with Harley Quinn's "nurse" outfit. But this was changed in favor of a more traditional look. Also, the sides of Joker's mouth were originally torn or scarred, although this was scrapped so it wouldn't appear similar to Joker's appearance in the live-action Batman film The Dark Knight (2008).
- #027
Several design choices point towards the game originally taking place in rainy weather. It's raining in the opening cutscene, whenever Batman is inside the Medical Facility lightning strikes can be seen, and several guards and inmates are wearing raincoats. It's possible that the game was planned to have rainfall, before it was removed, possibly due to performance issues. In Batman: Return To Arkham, there is now rainfall in free roam, either to address the opening and Medical Facility rain or due to the improved hardware allowing previously unavailable, yet desired, effects.
- #028
Originally, a game tie-in based on The Dark Knight (2008) was in development but was canceled due to financial and technical difficulties.
- #029
Killer Croc originally started out as a man born with a unique skin disease that gave him scaly skin and very reptilian-like attributes. The version of the character in this video-game reflects his appearances in the comic books after the year 2000, where he actually mutates into a rather large crocodile.
- #030
A Nintendo Wii version was in development by Red Fly Studios, but was eventually canceled.
- #031
Joker's initial design called for him to wear a 'mad scientist' outfit matching Harley Quinn's 'nurse' costume. However, this was changed in favor of a more traditional look. In addition, the corners of Joker's mouth were initially torn or scarred, but this was shelved so as not to resemble Joker's appearance in the live-action Batman film The Dark Knight.
- #032
Contains a major spoiler — show
When you come under Scarecrow's fear toxin for the third time, the game pretends to crash and start over. Rocksteady did this to explore what the player's worst fear would be if they were under the fear gas, which is going so far in a game only for it to crash and not have their progress saved.
- #033
Contains a major spoiler — show
At the end of the credits, there is a short cutscene which randomly gives the player one of three endings, where a box is floating on water and suddenly a villain's hand grasps on to the box, either Scarecrow, Killer Croc, or Bane. According to Rocksteady, Scarecrow is the "official" ending and that he survived being torn apart by Killer Croc earlier on in this game, as he is featured in the newest Batman Arkhamverse game, Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) where Scarecrow appears to look extremely horrible and grotesque.
- #034
Contains a major spoiler — show
This game features the second largest collection of villains appearing in a Batman video game, including cameos, after the verification made by its sequel, Batman: Arkham City (2011) (as of September 2011). Those who make appearances are: The Joker; Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel/Harley Quinn; Edward Nashton/Edward Nigma/The Riddler (although he is only heard and not seen beyond the character biography artwork); Waylon Jones/Killer Croc; Dr. Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow; Bane; Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley/Poison Ivy; Victor Zsasz; the dummy known as Scarface (albeit without the assistance of the ventriloquist Arnold Wesker); Basil Karlo/Clayface (who is also not seen in his true form but in the guise of multiple characters in a cell in the penitentiary).
- #035
Contains a major spoiler — show
Batman: Arkham Asylum was "remastered" for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 as part of the Batman: Return to Arkham (2016) Collection. When the remaster was initially revealed on May 18th, 2016, there was so much outrage about the very apparent graphical downgrades and stylistic changes that the remaster's release date was pushed from July 26th, 2016, to October 21st, 2016, in order to address the issues. The final product indeed ended up looking better than the reveal trailer footage, but many of the stylistic changes remained, much to fan dismay. The most evident of these changes was to the character models - in particular The Joker, who was given a more youthful complexion and colour scheme as opposed to the original more aged design.
- #036
Contains a major spoiler — show
Titan Joker's design was originally going to look very different. According to Carlos D'Anda: "I had initially envisioned him as a 'spiderlike' creature more than anything... some disjointed, messed up looking monster straight out of an Aphex Twin video or something...." However, he was eventually forced to make Titan Joker look more like the other, more muscular, Titans.
Behind the Scenes (4)
- #037
It took one of the game's physics engineers two years to design a way to make Batman's in-game cape react realistically to the wind when standing outside, walking, running, and fighting.
- #038
Mark Hamill voiced thousands of different lines of dialogue for the Joker, while Kevin Conroy voiced relatively few in comparison for Batman.
- #039
The sound of the explosive gel gadget when you use it was actually taken from a whipped cream can being used.
- #040
Contains a major spoiler — show
If Batman falls into the Joker's laughing gas, he will start to cough while the escape button prompt is blinking at the player. Remaining too long in the gas will cause Batman to laugh hysterically as he's dying.
Characters & Cast (1)
- #041
Mark Hamill, an accomplished voice actor, provides additional voices for other characters in the game, as well as his first opportunity to portray the gangster dummy, Scarface.
Easter Eggs & References (16)
- #042
Coincidentally, the actor voicing the Joker has the word "Arkham" hidden in his name (mARK HAMill).
- #043
When you lose to Bane, one of the game over sequences shows Bane breaking Batman's back, which is a direct reference to the "Knightfall" comic storyline in which Bane first appeared.
- #044
There is a hidden room in the Arkham mansion, where after applying three sprays of the explosive gel on a wall, players can enter and see blue prints, pictures and plans for the sequel, Batman: Arkham City (2011). Using detective vision won't give hints as to where the room is. It was also so well hidden that Rocksteady didn't say anything about it until 6 months after the game's release.
- #045
GameStop ran a contest to have a person's likeness included in the game. The winner, Luke Oliver, can be seen in a cell pacing back and forth in the area of the penitentiary where Clayface's cell is. Oliver's name is also on Joker's "party list".
- #046
Harley Quinn has the line, "Mama spank!" This is a reference to an infamous panel in Batman #1 (1940) where Batman says "Quiet or Papa spank!" to Catwoman.
- #047
In the patient interview tapes for Harley Quinn, much of the dialogue is taken directly from the Paul Dini/Bruce Timm one-shot comic 'Mad Love', which was later adapted into the episode Mad Love (1999), also by Paul Dini, writer of Batman: Arkham Asylum.
- #048
As a form of anti-piracy measure, when an illegal copy of this game is played, Batman's cape will open and close whenever he's flying. This renders certain tasks unachievable and the game impossible to beat.
- #049
In one of the Scarecrow audio tape interviews, you will hear mentions of Dr. Murphy and Dr. Combs. Cillian Murphy plays Scarecrow in Christopher Nolan's Batman film series and Jeffrey Combs voiced Scarecrow on the later episodes of The New Batman Adventures (1997) and in the video game Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (2003).
- #050
When you lose to Bane, one of the game over sequences shows Bane breaking Batman's back, which is a direct reference to the "Knightfall" comic storyline in which Bane first appeared.
- #051
Harley Quinn has the line, "Mama spank!" This is a reference to an infamous panel in Batman #1 (1940) where Batman says "Quiet or Papa spank!" to Catwoman.
- #052
Contains a major spoiler — show
Scarecrow being in the game was kept a secret to surprise players. Also, when the player encounters Scarecrow for the final time, the game makes it seem like Scarecrow is messing with our heads as well when the game appears to glitch, crash and restart. This is a sham as the new opening sequence has several things out of place: a "BATMAN MIGHT BE ESCAPING PATIENT" sign, the upside-down messed-up batsignal, Joker driving Batman in the Batmobile to Arkham, and Scarecrow being the receiving doctor. Finally, the Joker kills the player by then saying to move "the middle stick" to avoid Joker's lethal shot. This is also a sham since there is no "middle stick". Once you select restart, Batman emerges from a makeshift grave and starts the final Scarecrow mini-game. Upon completion, the game will continue as it is supposed to. Also, in place of the Blackgate inmates being escorted by Arkham guards, we now see Commissioner James Gordon, Head Guard Aaron Cash, Warden Quincy Sharp and Dr. Penelope Young being escorted by Joker's thugs.
- #053
Contains a major spoiler — show
The twist behind the Joker's scheme to fight Batman by using the Titan formula is strikingly similar to an issue of Batman (2005) in which he combats Batman after getting hold of Bane's venom formula.
- #054
Contains a major spoiler — show
In interview tape #1 for Scarecrow, the Doctor talks about one of Scarecrow's victims, a man named Dr. Murphy. This is in reference to Cillian Murphy, who played Scarecrow in Batman Begins.
- #055
Contains a major spoiler — show
Many characters who are never seen, but leave traces of themselves behind as Riddles, go on to have major roles in the sequel. For example, the player can find Catwoman's whip and goggles on display in a glass case, Penguin's top hat and various umbrellas in another glass case, Mr. Freeze's, Two-Face's and Clayface's cells, a series of case files written by Hugo Strange, and a duty schedule that lists Dr. Thomas "Hush" Elliot as an employee. Ra's al-Ghul's corpse even shows up in the morgue, only to vanish when the player returns.
- #056
Contains a major spoiler — show
In the Penitentiary, downstairs from where Batman finds Warden Quincy Sharp, you can find Clayface's cell. He is originally disguised as Aaron Cash, banging against the glass and begging Batman to free him. But if you turn around and come back, Cash is replaced by Commissioner Jim Gordon, who doesn't say anything to Batman, but instead just laughs. If you look at him through Detective Mode/Vision, you can see his lack of a skeleton. He's also the answer to one of the Riddles, and once you scan him, you can access his character bio as Clayface.
- #057
Contains a major spoiler — show
At one point, a security guard angrily tells the Joker as he's being taken back to Arkham that he'll pay for the deaths of three of his friends from the previous escape, only for the Joker to be shocked that he only managed to kill three, and state that he'll try to improve by killing 100 more people the next time he escapes. By the time of the end of the game, he did kill well over 100 people at Arkham.
Deeper Meaning (2)
- #058
The game is extremely faithful to the comics and uses Batman's rich history and decades of DC mythology as a narrative guide, a visual reference and an opportunity to explore the dark themes represented by the villains.
- #059
Contains a major spoiler — show
While rescuing Dr. Penelope Young you can hear her telling the mooks to let her speak directly to Joker, a seemingly unwise demand that you wouldn't expect from a garden-variety hostage. But you might expect it from someone who had unwittingly done business with him and wants to try resolving such an incriminating situation quietly and privately.
Career & Awards (1)
- #060
Entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for most critically acclaimed superhero video game of all time.
Related pages
- Batman: Arkham Origins — Batman: Arkham Asylum comes up in the facts on that page
Sources & editorial notes
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