Game Informer today revealed that a new Batman game is in development. Titled Batman: Arkham Asylum, the game is in development from Rocksteady Studios and Eidos. No specific systems were mentioned for the game. This new title is completely unrelated to the Dark Knight movie game that was apparently under development at EA's Pandemic Studio.

"This completely original title explores Gotham City's darkest location, the infamous Arkham Asylum," reads the post on Game Informer online. "But as a routine prison transfer goes wrong, the Joker sets his demented plan into action and Batman comes face to face with an army of his worst enemies. In a dark and gritty setting reminiscent of BioShock (with a story co-written by Paul Dini), Arkham Asylum is setting the stage for a true-to-character Batman game."

Dini is a veteran comic writer and helped produce Batman: The Animated Series and created the character Harley Quinn. Batman: Arkham Asylum is a byproduct of a licensing partnership forged between Warner Bros. and Eidos parent SCi in late 2006. Warner Bros. more recently made a major investment in SCi.

Update: The announcement from Eidos has now hit the wire, bringing us a few more details. Batman: Arkham Asylum is planned for a 2009 release on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC/Windows. Eidos will be co-publishing the game with Warner Bros. in North America but will handle the publishing alone in the rest of the world.

"In Batman: Arkham Asylum Eidos and Warner Bros. are building a true action adventure game experience worthy of gamers and fans," said Phil Rogers, CEO of Eidos Interactive. "Players become Batman, like he has never been seen before in a video game, as he fights through intense circumstances in Arkham Asylum utilizing his intuitive detective skills and aggressive melee attacks."

"Batman: Arkham Asylum offers players the chance to battle Gotham's worst villains with Batman's physical and psychological strength in a graphically distinct and story-driven game," said Martin Tremblay, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. "We look forward to working with Eidos on expanding DC Comics' world-renowned character Batman in the game space with a noticeably different feature set in an incredibly dark interactive environment."