At this point, we don't even have confirmation that Pandemic Brisbane is gone, but according to a report from Kotaku Australia, the axe dropped after the studio couldn't finish the oft-rumored Dark Knight game in time for the film's DVD / Blu-ray release. Blame allegedly goes to the short timeframe allotted to development and a lack of technology / tools needed to make the open-world title the team had in mind.

Reportedly, a second team was working on an open-world Wii title and managed to retain rights to the project after the studio closed. We're still waiting to discover the studio's fate, but in the meantime, the report is definitely worth a read. After the break, check out footage from a different -- some would say fake -- Dark Knight game.

If you happen to be one of three people in the world who have yet the watch "The Dark Knight," here is your chance. Microsoft has added the critically acclaimed film to its popular online movie rental service. Available in both high definition and standard definition, at 480MS and 320MS points respectively, The Dark Knight continues the story of The Batman and his quest to rid Gotham City of its seedy criminal underbelly. With the help of District Attorney Harvey Dent and Lieutenant Jim Gordon, The Batman faces his greatest threat of all, a ruthless murderer known only as The Joker. Watch this one, again and again.

Update: Reader DBoyFlex also adds a few Dark Knight treats are available. Check it out for a new regular theme and some video content.

Add The Dark Knight to your Xbox 360 download queue

We had high hopes for The Dark Knight's Blu-ray release. But boy, we didn't expect such phenomenal results. The Dark Knight has become the fastest selling Blu-ray yet, besting the last king of the hill, Iron Man. Nearly 3 million copies of the movie were sold on Tuesday, with 600,000 units being sold on Blu-ray. That means about 25-30% of the disc sales were on Blu-ray -- an impressive feat for a relatively new format.

"It's encouraging," said Ron Sanders, president of Warner Home Video. "The Blu-ray sales of 'Dark Knight' were exceptionally strong and much higher than our projections." Considering The Dark Knight is an obvious addition to an HD home theater set up, we doubt their projections were much lower. Besides, all that money should make up for the Golden Globe snub, amirite?

[Update: All gone already!]

Amazon is offering a free copy of The Dark Knight on Blu-ray and Resistance 2 Collector's Edition with the purchase of a PlayStation 3 80GB for $399.99 with free shipping. Just click here, add all three items to your cart, then enter the coupon code PSKNIGHT during checkout.

The weird thing is, some parts of the site are claiming the deal is valid for today (December 9th) only while the official rules are stating the offer is "valid 12 AM Pacific time, December 9, 2008, through 11:59 PM. Pacific time, December 10, 2008." Our suggestion? If you are interested, take advantage of this today and not wait until tomorrow to find out if the offer is still valid. The deal is right through here.

[Via Slickdeals]

You may have missed the Hellboy II BD-Live chat, but we're pretty sure you're not going to want to miss this one. Christopher Nolan, director of the summer's blockbuster The Dark Knight, will be part of a Blu-ray exclusive "live community screening." The registration process for this event is a bit cumbersome, and it's also limited -- so read the instructions carefully! The two disc BD set will be available on December 9th.

[Thanks, snoopytimes!]

The PlayStation Network video service has been rapidly growing with a plethora of HD and SD downloads and rentals. This holiday will see the service expand to over 1,000 movies and 2,500 television shows. "The consumer demand we've seen for our PlayStation Network video delivery service is phenomenal, and we expect continued momentum this holiday season with a line-up of blockbuster movies that offer something for everyone," said Susan Panico, Senior Director of PlayStation Network. "Complementing this demand for high-definition downloadable content, the new 160GB PS3 bundle enables customers to download and store even more movies, TV shows, games, music and photos, making the PS3 the ultimate entertainment center and holiday gift."

Some of the movies planned for the holiday include:

• The Dark Knight (12/9)
• Fred Claus (11/25)
• Hancock – rated and unrated(11/25)
• Horton Hears a Who (12/9)
• Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (11/26)
• Step Brothers – unrated(12/2)
• X-Files: I Want To Believe (12/2)

In the category of things that are not surprising, you're certain to find the existence of a video game based on a stunningly successful superhero film. You'll also find Kotaku's report on the alleged first details of said game, which see the titular Dark Knight roaming the GTA-style streets of Gotham City, racing about in the Batmobile and swinging through the urban jungle on the hunt for society's less reputable elements.

But it's the game's unusual failure to release -- or even be officially acknowledged by anyone other than Commissioner Gordon -- that you might file in the less crowded category of surprising things. The report attributes Batman's no-show to the developer's continued struggle against a dodgy camera system and repetitive combat, the latter of which is no doubt a challenging side effect of film director Christoper Nolan slamming our hero's cape in the door of reality.

There's hope for a successful outcome (Vigilante's Creed, anyone?) within such a vaporous release schedule, but we're already concerned by the game's supposed adoption of the now-standard "Superhero + GTA = Video Game" formula. EA, we know you ignored us when we pleaded with you to put the Tumbler into Burnout Paradise as an unlockable, but listen to us this one time: People want to be Batman -- all of him. We want to be a billionaire playboy, the world's greatest detective and Gotham's Dark Knight. Don't make us beat up petty thugs in generic alleys all game long, okay?

With box office numbers soaring past the $440 million mark, The Dark Knight is one hot, hot, hot brand. This is exactly why lucky promotion winners are willing to put their rare The Dark Knight themed Xbox 360s on eBay, to capitalize on the hype and make a fist full of cash.

Winners of the Dominos Pizza's "The Cards Tell the Tale" Sweepstakes were awarded one of 110 The Dark Knight Xbox 360s (20GB models, no less) and now they're flooding eBay with some very high price tags. If you want one (and really, who wouldn't want a 360 plastered with the Joker on its side?) expect to pay two to three times the value of a Pro console itself. Heck, even "legit" auctions with sixteen plus bids have exceeded the $800 mark, which we expect to only climb. We wish we weren't so seriously jealous right now ...

[Via Gamertell]

Like a Batarang, this story didn't come back – it stuck. We're talking about our original report on G4's interview with actor Gary Oldman, in which he specifically speaks about an upcoming game based on the smash hit movie The Dark Knight. G4 had pulled the video, but, like a boomerang, it's back.

Oldman, who plays the role of Gotham City police lieutenant Jim Gordon in the film, reveals during the interview that he's "seen a tiny little piece of [the game]" and that its developer (rumored to be the now EA-owned Pandemic) is focusing a lot of effort on realistic, seamless gliding sequences. Meanwhile, his interviewer looks more uncomfortable and confused than enthused about the fact that she's sitting across from a film legend. Why so serious?

[Update: Now with video (thanks, VVP)! Watch Gary Oldman spill the beans after the break. And hey, G4 – you guys totally got that story fair and square, so why pull the video?]

Far be it from us to tell Electronic Arts how to run its business, but one would think that announcing a long-since-leaked game based on a hugely anticipated movie which just so happened to premier the very same week of the industry's largest press event would be – what we in the video game blogging business call – "a no-brainer." But, then again, we're not Electronic Arts so, despite being first rumored and then leaked by IGN over a year ago, Pandemic's totally secret adaptation of The Dark Knight did not make its debut during the serendipitous collision of E3 and Batman-mania last week.

As if EA's counter-intuitive marketing plan wasn't funny enough, an interview on G4 with Commissioner Gordon himself, Gary Oldman, revealed – surprise! – that a game was indeed in development. Oldman stopped short of naming developer Pandemic or EA, but we all know the score; in response, G4 had the video removed from YouTube as well as their own site. Our favorite part from the interview teaser reel? When Oldman says, "It's hard to make a movie like this under the radar." You know what, we were just thinking the same thing about games ...

Source – IGN forums
Source – YouTube video (since pulled by g4 Media, Inc.)

Way, way, way back in March we informed you about Microsoft creating a few special The Dark Knight themed Xbox 360's for a Summer promotion. Seeing that it's Summer and perfect promotional weather, we now know what they look like AND how to win them. A process that includes ordering delicious pizza.

Beginning July 7th, Domino's pizza and The Dark Knight have teamed up to offer a special Gotham City Pizza where, once ordered, you'll gain access into The Dark Knight Vault which is full of exclusive clips, downloads and the chance to win all kinds of prizes. Prizes like $10,000, autographed goods and most importantly, a Dark Knight Xbox 360 Elite. Only 110 consoles exists, so prepare to order LOTS of pizza come July.

Preparing for this Summer's sure to be mega hit blockbuster The Dark Knight , the marketing powers that be have just released some free movie themed downloads to the Xbox Live Marketplace. Though, sadly, these are only available to U.S. Live subscribers (frowny face).

Downloadable is a The Dark Night theme featuring some rather sexy promo shots from the film as well as a gamer picture pack including five pictures to choose from. All very Batman-like and all very delicious! And yes, this very, very, very obsessed blogger (obsessiveness proved by my Dark Knight inspired Facebook profile image) is sporting some Joker gamer picture love. You should do the same ... at least until July 18th.

Last night, eagle-eyed members of NeoGAF spotted a story on IGN about developer Pandemic working on a new Batman game, moments before the story was then pulled. We're betting it was an exclusive let slip a bit too early, but that's just a guess. If you'll remember, this partnership of Bat and studio was rumored all the way back in May.

IGN didn't have details on the game but we're inclined to agree with the assumption that it's a Dark Knight tie-in meant to drop alongside the movie in July. As for the choice of Pandemic, best known for Destroy All Humans and Mercenaries, we're amiable enough. They're at least qualified to hurdle over the bar set by previous devs, so low as to be in danger of being melted by the Earth's molten core.

The marketing peeps over at Brandweek are reporting that this Summer's sure to be a hit blockbuster movie, The Dark Knight, will see a massive marketing campaign with companies signing on to do cross-promotional tie-ins including our own Xbox 360. Sometime this Summer, Microsoft will be holding a giveaway where they'll be handing out The Dark Knight themed Xbox 360s in both Batman and Joker flavors. Just think how twisted-crazy a Joker themed 360 would be. Details regarding the promotion are slim, but come July we'll be informed and on a Dark Knight 360 mission. We guess our limited edition Mass Effect Xbox 360 will have to tide us over for now.

[Thanks, L1B3RATION]