Batman: Arkham Knight includes reference to GamerGate

A reference to the GamerGate movement has been discovered in Rocksteady Studio's Batman: Arkham Knight. A file on the Dark Knight's Batcomputer references what is called "#CrusaderGate", a "disastrous social media campaign" started by The Riddler.

A screenshot of the in-game reference is now doing the rounds online. The log says #CrusaderGate was started by The Riddler as an attempt to take down Batman, but it backfires. "Y do u attack B@man? He is BASED!" says one user in an email to the famed supervillain.

"He [Riddler] couldn't understand it," reads the log, "It seemed the internet's idiotic and easily roused rabbled could froth itself into a full-fat cappuccino of frenzy over 'white knights'. But offer it up a Dark one – on a plate – and you get a soy latte's worth of indignation at best!"

It is a clear pot-shot at the vile and hateful campaign which made headlines last year after those flying the GamerGate flag instigated a sustained campaign of abuse against vocal women within the video game community.

Chief among them were Feminist Frequency's Anita Sarkeesian and developer Brianna Wu, who each received a barrage of death and rape threats because of their outspoken views regarding equality in the industry.

The industry's attitude towards sexism is improving regardless of GamerGate's efforts however. At E3 in June audiences saw a wide variety of female protagonists in games ranging from big budget titles like Mirror's Edge: Catalyst, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Dishonored 2 and Horizon: Zero Dawn to smaller games like Tacoma, Recore, Gigantic and Beyond Eyes.

Batman: Arkham Knight is out now for PS4 and Xbox One.

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