Batman: Arkham Asylum was a phenomenal game, and proved that someone was actually capable of making a really good Batman video game after years of duds. When the sequel was announced at last year's Spike TV Video Game Awards, most of us started speculating right off the bat (no pun intended) about where it would take place. The ending of Arkham Asylum seemed to hint that the whole of Gotham City might be the next setting, and as it turns out, that's sort of correct. Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment announced today that Batman: Arkham City will be out in the fall of 2011, and will take the action out of the Asylum.

Though information besides a title and vague release window is scarce right now, DC did announce via the DCU blog that Arkham City would take place "in a sequestered section of Gotham City that has become the home for the criminally insane". I'm sure we can expect a lot of appearances by classic Batman villains, and we already know that Mark Hamill, Kevin Conroy, and Arleen Sorkin will be reprising their roles as the Joker, Batman, and Harley Quinn, respectively. I'm a little bummed that the release is so far away--I knew it would be 2011, but fall 2011 is forever away! However, if that's what it takes for developer Rocksteady Studios to top the first game, it will be worth the wait.