Living

10 Questions for the Makers of 'LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight'

By HC Green Men's Journal

Updated May 20, 2026 9:26 PM

With LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight launching this week, I had the opportunity to ask Jonathan Smith, head of the development team and strategic director for developer TT Games, some questions about his time working on the game, his background with the Batman franchise, and even his favorite LEGO sets.

1) With There Already Being Three LEGO Batman Games, Why Was Now the Right Time to Revisit the Franchise?

Jonathan Smith: It's been more than 10 years since our last LEGO Batman game, and we felt there was a huge opportunity to build on the big steps forward we took with LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga-deeper gameplay and richer, more immersive environments. As soon as the concept emerged, weaving together moments and characters from across the entire history of the character in films, television shows, comics, and games "from origin to legend," we knew this was a truly epic new game that needed to be made.

2) What's Something You Were Able to Do With Current Hardware That You Would Not Have Been Able to Do Previously?

JS: Leveraging the power of modern gaming hardware, we've been able to create an open-world Gotham City, which looks stunning and is incredibly fun to explore over a huge scale.

3) How Did You Balance the Gameplay of Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham Series and Traditional LEGO Games?

JS: The Batman: Arkham games set a new standard for "being Batman" in a video game, so they are definitely a source of inspiration. Our traversal and combat controls will be immediately familiar to Arkham players-but our LEGO Batman combat system also has distinctive features, with our unique character-switching gameplay, gadgets, and LEGO twists.

4) What Inspired the Idea to Tap Into So Many Different Variations of the Batman Films, From Matt Reeves' and Christopher Nolan's Versions and Going Back to Tim Burton?

JS: As huge Batman and DC fans, we're voracious. We want EVERYTHING. And in this game, supported by DC, we were lucky enough to have a whole smorgasbord to choose from. Blending the iconic and epic with the hyper-specific and niche is part of the joy of this game.

5) How Did You Decide Which Version of Various Characters to Use?

JS: All our LEGO characters coalesce different aspects and performances into a single persona which suits the tone and plot of our game. Different movies and comic stories show these characters at different points in their history-young and old-and we've often used those as reference points for outfits and story moments as we unfold our narrative across many years of Batman's fight against ever-increasing threats to Gotham City.

6) What Was the Most Challenging Aspect of Developing a Game That Involves Two Such Well-Known IPs in LEGO and Batman?

JS: For us, the LEGO aesthetic and tone is always entirely additive to an IP. It makes possible combinations and juxtapositions you couldn't have in any other form. And there's no part of Batman's history we couldn't assimilate-with a unique LEGO take.

7) Which Actor Is Batman to You?

JS: LEGO Batman IS every Batman.

8) Which Series of Batman Films Are Your Favorite?

JS: We get so much joy from the amalgamation of diverse takes-the unique distillations we can have in LEGO form. Having the powerful drama of Batman Begins imbued with the mischievous sensibility of the 1966 television show and represented with the unconstrained flair of the 1989 Batman film, gives us the best of all Bat-worlds.

9) What Is Your Favorite Non-Batman LEGO Video Game?

JS: I was lucky enough to be part of the team behind the very first LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game, and that will always have a foundational place in my soul.

10) What's the Most Fun You've Had Building a Physical LEGO Set?

JS: Building LEGO sets is always fun-but it's the greatest pleasure to be able to share that fun with other people. I've been lucky enough to have that cooperative building experience with my children many times over the years. The "most" fun? Perhaps when we were all competing to improvise LEGO cars in repeated challenges down the racing ramps of LEGOLAND. Pure play!

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 7:59 PM.