It is great to be a fan of the superhero genre. No matter which way a story could be told, superheroes are shown on that platform. One of the ways their stories are told is through video games. One video game that is popular right now is Marvel Rivals. With its PVP style of play with a Marvel coating, it’s a good recipe to capitalize on both fan bases. But that has stirred some speculation; what would a DC game would look like in that style? Fans are coming up with their own rosters to answer back. Others are going a step further by drawing DC characters in the art style of Marvel Rivals. But fans could go so far. It’s publishers that need to answer back. Obviously, if there is a proper response, it needs to come from DC. DC does have some great games under their brand. If they were to answer to Marvel Rivals, that type of success that worked with those games needs to be replicated. So, how would a DC response to Marvel Rivals look like? What should it look like?
The common-sense answer would be a video in the same genre as Marvel Rivals. It would be simple for DC to make a game in the likes of Marvel Rivals but obviously in a DC skin. DC has a roster just as big and perhaps more iconic. There will be no struggle to pick out characters to fit the roster for the game. What Marvel Rivals has done to great effect is to dig down the barrel of characters that mainstream audiences may not know. So, the game awards fans of Marvel comic books instead of fans they may have come to the game to get an MCU fix. A DC game in this style could do the same. Characters like Big Barda, A.M.A.Z.O., Red Tornado, and Lady Shiva would benefit greatly from a game that respects everyone under the DC banner. And of course characters like Deathstroke, Brainiac, Blue Beetle and Powergirl will shine bright in a game like this. Just having the simple thought of having a game like this, one could already picture some of the moves that characters will have. Batman will have a swarm of bats and batarangs. Superman will have something like a heat vision sweep. And Ra’s al Ghul will have the ability to resurrect himself. DC also has great locations from Gotham to Oa that matches could be played on. However, if DC were to go this route, it would be obvious that their hand is being forced. The love that’s behind Marvel Rivals wouldn’t necessarily be there because it’s an attempt to get into a trend. This game would be nothing more than a blatant and obvious copy of Marvel Rivals in the eyes of fans. DC would have to look elsewhere.
DC could also go in familiar territory. Territory where they had success before. They could release another Injustice game. The previous Injustice games were huge hits. Injustice: Gods Among Us finally put DC into the fighting genre. With exclusive character superpowers which gave a fun dynamic to fighting, a mix of traditional and modern looks for characters, clashes with wages, arena transactions and arena and character damage put Injustice: Gods Among Us in the same conversation as other premier fighting games. Injustice 2 doubled down on many of the aforementioned features but added a feature to the fighting genre that put Injustice 2 on its own ground. The gear system. The gear system allowed players to change the looks of their characters and added stats to their traits. It’s something that Neartherrealm continues to do. And both of these games started another universe within the DC multiverse. These games carved their own part in DC. It seemed like a third game would be on the horizon due to the pattern that Neatherrealm was doing. They would release Mortal Kombat then Injustice. That pattern ended when they went from Mortal Kombat 11 to Mortal Kombat 1. There is some unconfirmed, speculated, and vague reasons to why that choice was made. The time seems appropriate to release an Injustice game given that DC might get a reenergized treatment. But with many hands involved in the development of a potential third Injustice game, the game’s fate is uncertain.
Another route DC could take, a route that was a missed opportunity, is to make and release a Justice Leage game. Now, it could be daunting to make a game of this caliber. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Marvel’s Avengers has proved that the weight of this type of game can crumble into itself. So, if this is a response to Marvel Rivals, DC needs to handle this with great care. Live service features are more than likely a death sentence for any game. A Justice League game cannot use that. This game needs to have the hype Marvel’s Avengers had initially but the execution of games like Elden Ring, God of War: Ragnarök, and Black Myth: Wukong. There’s plenty of ways that this game could go. It could run similar to Marvel’s Avengers as the whole team is there on a mission or partially there. The game could also provide an option where only one character can be carried into the mission because that’s how a particular part is set up. Once a small team or the whole team is there, the player could hit a button and switch to another character. Of course, this formula has been seen in Marvel’s Avengers. But for this game to succeed AND gain the popularity as Marvel Rivals, it needs to make those features and functions better! And include some ground breaking elements. Parts of the game will be devoted to one member, to perhaps a trio then the big climactic parts need to have them all in the scene together. Who ever the lineup may be, DC needs to make sure that the game feels like its each member’s own video game. They may have to look inhouse to see how something like that may be done. Creatures Commandoes did a master job of giving each character their due without loosing track of the overall story. That type of treatment needs to be given to a Justice League game. A game where the Justice League is fully together hasn’t been made a few years, so it looks like the perfect time to get them in a video game where they are united and in the forefront. With icon status, incorporating features that are familiar with gamers, introducing original features, and being long overdue for a proper video game, a Justice League game could be hugely beneficial for DC to compete with Marvel Rivals.
Superhero video games are a respected platform to tell a story. Or to extend the fun fans have for this world. Marvel has really capitalized on it with Marvel Rivals. That leaves the opportunity for DC to answer back. Now, James Gunn has confirmed that video games will be a piece to the DCU so a response maybe on the horizon. But, DC has had great success with video games. So, they have been in the top spot before. There are ways for them to compete with Marvel Rivals, it’s just a matter of when and how.
