Director/writer James Gunn recently confirmed on Twitter that future DC Comics games will be a part of the larger universe he’s forming as the new co-head of DC Films. After previously stating that the DC Universe will be “connected across all films and TV and animation,” he added that games will be included in that as well.
Previously, DC games have existed in their own various pocket universes from their respective developers (see Injustice, the Lego games, and Batman Arkham). Including games in the interconnected universe of DC Films broadens the potential audience, and makes games a bigger part of WB Discovery’s finances.
Including games in its larger plans also reinforces that despite the DC shakeups over the summer, Warner Bros. will continue to make games a key part of its business.
Moreover, it gives DC a leg up on Marvel, which has currently kept its various game franchises in their own isolated universes.
One game that won’t fall under that purview will be 2023’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Developed by Rocksteady Studios, that title will be a continuation of the developer’s Arkham franchise.
Similarly, it’s unclear what Gunn’s declaration means for the Wonder Woman game currently in development at Monolith Studios.
When Gunn and Peter Safran were hired as co-chairmen and CEOs of DC Films, it was Warner Bros. Discovery head David Zaslav that promised a “cohesive DC universe” going forward. Beyond bringing back Henry Cavill as Superman, nothing noteworthy has come from Gunn and Safran’s recent hiring.
Commitment and follow through has been one of DC’s bigger problems for its expanded media in the last decade. This hasn’t been an issue for its games, but until we actually see what that connection fully looks like, it remains nothing more than interesting potential to be taken advantage of in the future.