Now I say possibly, because the site I heard the news from isn't the most well known, and even they learned it through some ''NAG magazine from South Africa'' and a quick google search doesn't turn up any other sources besides a few other articles citing the same magazine. It just seems that something of this magnitude wouldn't be cornered in a South African magazine of all things. So, yeah, I wouldn't consider it to be definite, but I also wouldn't be wholly surprised if it turns up true.

The stated reasoning certainly makes sense, though, since this is a fresh faced Batman without the added gruff from all of his experience as The Dark Knight. Plus while Kevin Conroy obviously makes for a great Batman, I'm always intrigued whenever they pull in someone else to give the role ago for a little variety and to see how this other voice actor handles the character. Though like the David Hayter thing, a Kevin Conroy-less Batman (speaking for the voice at least) is like some sort of oxymoron for some people, so I can already imagine plenty of pissed off fans banging at the doors with their pitchforks if this is to be the way of things...

EDIT: Although...

If they're flaunting this preview on the front cover, maybe these guys really were lucky enough to snag an exclusive.

Eh, I find this to be less of deal than David Hayter just because there have been plenty of other good Batmans (Batmen?), though Kevin Conroy is definitely the best. I'd be totally okay with Bruce Greenwood for instance, who played him in Under The Red Hood and Young Justice. As long as it's not the guy from the Year One animated movie, because he was awful.

@epidehl: And while obviously he's a poor fit for this Batman, but Peter Weller done a surprisingly great job in The Dark Knight Returns. Also, yeah, the Year One guy was tuuuurrible. Then again the whole Batman segment of that movie was kinda meh; it was the Jim Gordon stuff that kept my attention.

Even still, I'm sure there's plenty of people out there who consider Conroy to be the voice of Batman, much like Mark Hamill and the Joker. So while it might not be the same scale as the David Hayter reaction, I'm sure there'll be plenty of ''No Kevin, no sale!!!'' derp comments.

It's not really that big a deal. While Conroy is obviously the voice of Batman most people know and love DC have been pretty good about switching things up with all their animated movies and it's not like he has voiced any of the cartoons for a while, including the upcoming Beware the Batman.

@epidehl: Snake is such an easy voice to impersonate I don't really get that, maybe it's hard to gurgle like MGS4 on top of the Snake?

While I really liked the Conroy/Hamill nostalgia trip for Arkham Asylum and City without Mark Hamill I don't really care who voices Batman as long as he's vaguely competent.

Eh. I don't personally care cause in the DC animated films Batman has been voiced by other actors already so fans have seen the role not just go to Kevin Conroy. While I find his voice synonymous to the role of Batman I'm always open to change. To be honest I'd really find it awesome if they did away with Bruce Wayne but kept the Batman character, ala' Grant Morrison's run on Batman Inc / Battle for the Cowl a few years back where Dick Grayson took up the role. I'm sure that keeping the Batman character is a must, but that doesn't necessarily mean it has to be Bruce. Heck I'd seriously be down for a Batman Beyond game. Guys, Batman in Neo-Tokyo style Gotham City. How cool would that shit be.

I... I don't know about that. I mean, if it's a good game, it'd be dumb to not play it over a voice, but...

Kevin Conroy basically IS Batman to me. Yeah, I know there have been plenty of other cartoons and things with other people voicing Batman, but...

I dunno. All the animated Batman stuff I've ever seen has had his voice in it, and I'd be real bummed if it was someone else.

It makes sense, Conroy has always played a more grizzled Batman so having him play a younger Batman could be strange. Batman also has never really had one true voice cause as others said there have been many great voice actors for him, Conroy was just one of the best.

I grew up with BTAS but at this point I'm a little tired of Conroy. If this game really aims to deal with a young late 20's Batman then Conroy's voice sounds too old and too experienced to fit him anyway.

That's precisely what I was hoping for, too.

Since it is a origin game I think a younger sounding Batman works

*flips table* Don't kid like that, saying such crazy things.

This is how I feel as well. He IS Batman to me. Just like Hamill is Joker. And that's why I hate the Jokers voice in Injustice. At least in Under The Red Hood they got a guy like John DiMaggio who can put his own spin on the character but in Injustice it just sounds like the guy is attempting to recreate Hamill's laugh and that's not possible.

Bruce Greenwood, Peter Weller, and every other person they've gotten to voice Batman has always sounded stilted and stupid. Like they're reading off a page and not inhabiting the character. Fuck all those choices.

If you're not going to get Kevin Conroy (and why wouldn't you considering he's a proper actor and has been killing the role for 20 years), at least hire somebody competent.

EDIT: barring Conroy get Adam West. If you're not going to cast Batman to play Batman you may as well go all the goddamn way.

They should get Nicolas Cage doing his Adam West impression like in Kick-Ass to voice Batman.

I just hope the voice actor for this game doesn't attempt do anything even resembling Christian Bale's terrible Batman voice.

@fredchuckdave said:

It's easy to impersonate, it's not easy to actually nail. A lot of fan parodies will have comments saying stuff like "Oh my god you sound just like David Hayter!" but they really don't. Even official appearances of Solid Snake where he isn't voiced by Hayter don't sound quite the same.

I'm not actually against someone else voicing Snake, but it really annoys me when people just brush off the voice as something that would be super simple for another actor to match. It's not, people notice those things.

Edit: To make this post more on-topic I'm not against this move, but Conroy not being involved would make me even more skeptical of this game than I already am.

Year of the Recasting! First Sam Fisher, then Snake, and now Batman!?

For me, one of the neatest touches of Arkham Asylum/City was the reprising of roles from the animated series, so this is hurting my interest in the project somewhat. Even if the idea of doing a younger Batman is the reason behind the decision, I don't see any reason why Conroy couldn't adapt accordingly. After all, the reason his work in the animated series is so memorable is partly due to the way he utilised different voices for Wayne and Batman, and he had changed the voice considerably by the time Justice League closed out.

But hey, maybe they'll get Rino Romano for it!

It makes sense, since he'd be a younger batman. I have no problem with this, as well as the david hayter recasting, since he didn't make much sense as old snake.

In terms of basing a story around a far younger and inexperienced Batman, a recasting of the voice actor is a pretty smart move. The Batman that Conroy portrays is ultimately confident in his skills and prowess that it just wouldn't fit in the tone and setting that Warner Bro's Montreal is taking with Origins.

Having said that, I remain mostly skeptical with what they are doing, although I am still largely excited as Arkham Asylum and City are beyond fantastic games but I'm unsure of how the new team will handle the burden they've been given. Only time will tell.

@ll_exile_ll: Bale should voice Batman if Corney doesn't

Eh, if they get a younger voice for batman it makes sense, being a prequel and all. I'm sure Conroy will be back for the sequel to Arkham City.

I'd prefer for Kevin Conroy to reprise his role. It be interesting to see who might carry the Batman torch for Arkham Origins though.

If Conroy is out then it would be just our "luck" that the next news thing would say "Shia LeBeouf voices younger Batman in Arkham Origins!"

I would love Adam West to voice this type Batman

I have an Official XBOX Magazine that has a cover article on Batman: Arkham Origins, and it mentions the voice actors, who will be playing Batman and Joker.

Roger Craig Smith, who plays Ezio Auditore in Assassins Creed 2, Brotherhood, and Revelations will be playing the voice of Batman, and Troy Baker, who played both Robin and Two-Face in Arkham City, will be playing the Joker. It also confirms that Batman will be younger in this game.

Get Nolan North to do it like he does everything else.