After years of mismanaged projects and scattered plots, DC is getting a fresh start under the leadership ofJames Gunn. With this summer’sSupermanjump-starting the new universe with resounding success, the obvious question has been what’s next for not only movies, but TV shows and video games.
DC hasn’t had much success with video games of late. The two most recent AAA titles,Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice LeagueandGotham Knights,struck out with fans and critics alike. These failures have coincided with the release of Marvel video games, such as theMarvel’s Spider-Manseries andMarvel Rivals,which have been met with universal praise, further contrasting the rival comic brands. Thankfully, James Gunn has addressed the future of DC games.
James Gunn Confirms DC Games Will Take Some Time
Changes At Warner Bros. Games May Have Caused Delays
In a recent interview withGamesRadar+, the director ofSupermanandPeacemakerspoke briefly on the current state of DC video games. Gunn stated, “There’s been some slight movement on different things”,and on more details, continued with, “we have a couple of little DC games coming out. But we also have talked about - and in early stages of planning - some bigger things”.
The main reason fora delay seems to be restructuring at Warner Bros. Games, the publisher behindSuicide SquadandGotham Knights, as Gunn explained, “there’s been some changes in Warner Bros. Games, and so we’re dealing with new people”.He did mention one upcoming project, teasing “one thing in particular I’m excited about, but it does take time”.What that project could be is anyone’s guess, though the recently announcedLEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knightcould be a candidate.
DC Games Deserve A Fresh Start
A New, Wackier, Era Is In Order
It’s been a rough few years for DC in video games, andthe franchise truly deserves, and needs, a new slate to begin againif it wantsto avoid repeating past mistakes. While the news that DC games will take a while to start back up again, having a break to reset and find a new focus is a promising start to a new era of video games. With legacy characters just as fun and diverse as Marvel, it’s a shame that AAA DC games have mostly been regulated to Batman, Bat-Family characters, andInjusticefor the past decade.
With James Gunn’s new take on DC coming to the big screen, it’s the perfect time to give DC games the same, fresh treatment. DC’s new era of interesting and underground characters like Mister Fantastic and Metamorpho could easilygive DC games endless fodder for content, especially for varied gameplay. One of the main issues withSuicide Squad, beyond the forced live-service aspects, was that every character used a gun, right down to the talking shark.
Embracing the inherent wackiness of comic book heroes and their powersin video games would be the right call for DC games moving forward. Strange new side characters, fun stories, and single-player stories would help DC games fold into Gunn’s new vision for the DC brand, while also giving players something they’ve been asking for for years. While legacy characters do deserve attention in games, this new era of DC is the perfect time to bring in a more diverse roster.
