James Gunn’s DCU, the DC Universe, is seemingly already on the way out. Following Peacemaker, Creature Commandos, Supergirl, Lanterns, and Clayface, the blossoming cinematic universe is already on the chopping block.
While the DCU may not be completely dead and buried – there’s a sense that Skydance will continue the brand under a new leadership – Gunn’s last project will seemingly be the almost-finished Superman: Man of Tomorrow.
Unfortunately, the DCU is being buckled before the true promise of its cinematic universe has started. While Marvel has done well to branch out into video games outside of its film and TV content, DC’s plan was to have a completely interconnected universe with live-action, animation, and even video games all combining together.
In 2025, James Gunn explained that multiple DCU game tie-ins were in the works. Alongside rumours of a Marvel Rivals competitor for DC superheroes, the director explained last year that there’s “some movement” on DCU video games that tie into the wider universe’s overall narrative.
“We have a couple of little DC games coming out,” Gunn said at the time. “But we also have talked about – and in early stages of planning – some bigger things. One thing in particular I’m excited about, but it does take time.”
This news came amidst the closure and restructuring of multiple Warner Bros owned game studios. Monolith, which was working on a non-DCU Wonder Woman game was shuttered, Player First Games, which created MultiVersus, was axed, WB Games San Diego was also closed.
While WB does have a number of other studios, they’re already at work. For example, Rocksteady Studios is seemingly working on its next Arkham game, which isn’t set in the DCU. Furthermore, Avalanche Software is tied to Harry Potter and NetherRealm is locked to Mortal Kombat and (hopefully) Injustice.
Despite their promise, DCU video games were never going to be a first-step process. Making games is now even more expensive than making films, and that’s without tying Hollywood names and faces to them. (Those games are even more expensive.) Considering the DCU’s cost-focused measures compared to that of the bloated-budget MCU, would it have even been possible to take these big-screen heroes into the gaming world?
While tying in video games to the DCU sounds like a great idea on paper, it’s a very difficult task, and one that can only be done with a franchise that is stable. After all, even the MCU failed in the gaming space, and the healthy Godzilla MonsterVerse has almost avoided it. (Where is my MonsterVerse Godzilla game, goddamnit?)
DCU video games were a promise that would have likely never been fulfilled, or at least fulfilled well. In an age where sequels to successful video games are scrapped in favour of live-service games that are also scrapped, the level of planning needed is immense, and the dream of games that offer new stories with these characters is one that probably wasn’t ever meant to be.
