Dax Ginn the Market Manager for Batman: Arkham City recently spoke about the games length.
Ginn told GamerZines that it honestly depends on the players choice. If the “just sticking to the core narrative path” then it is actually possible to complete the game “in about 8 hours.” On the other hand players who explore “and trying new things” could experience “between 20-24 hours” of gameplay.
Batman: Arkham City is slated to be released in October on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.