Closing out Wednesday’s PlayStation State of Play was a banger of an announcement: Sony revealed Marvel Tōkon: Combating Souls, a tag-team fighter from Arc System Works (Dragon Ball FighterZ, Responsible Gear Attempt). Pleasure couldn’t be increased for the anime-inspired fighter coming to PlayStation 5 and PC subsequent yr, and the thrill round it has solely illuminated how properly Marvel is dominating video video games proper now — particularly when in comparison with the Distinguished Competitors, DC.
Marvel Tōkon’s announcement comes after a string of profitable video video games that includes Marvel characters throughout genres; Marvel is crushing the cell market with Marvel Snapthe hero shooter class with Marvel Rivalsand the single-player house with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Insomniac’s earlier Spidey video games. Marvel’s video games provide one thing for each kind of gamer and, even when its video games aren’t industrial hits, they’ll nonetheless land with gamers and critics. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and Marvel’s Midnight Suns are two of my favourite video games of this era, and I nonetheless maintain out hope for sequels to them (irrespective of how unlikely they’re).
Distinction that with DC, whose characters final noticed success within the PS4/Xbox One days. It’s been eight years since Injustice 2 dropped, DC’s final objectively nice recreation. A full decade has handed since Batman: Arkham Knightalthough even that title was a little bit of a letdown for some gamers in comparison with the earlier Arkham video games (rather less Batmobile would have gone a great distance).
DC struck gold with Rocksteady’s Arkham sequence, releasing a sequence of hits from 2009-2015, but adopted that success with some curious choices. Not one, however two Batman: Arkham VR video games had been launched, the primary in 2016 and the second in 2024 solely for the Meta Quest 3 (TIL the Meta Quest 3 has unique titles). Batman: Arkham Shadow garnered a constructive reception at launch, however, I imply, are you seeking to Meta Quest 3 to get your Batman: Arkham repair? Didn’t assume so.
Then there was Gotham Knights. Regardless of the 2022 recreation that includes members of the Batfamily, it has no connection to the Arkham sequence. Whereas persevering with the Arkham sequence storyline wouldn’t have saved Gotham Knights and its repetitive construction from a mediocre reception, it may have not less than given followers of Rocksteady’s sequence a motive to test it out. As a substitute, it’s grow to be a one-off dud.
DC’s different most notable title of this era is Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguewhich was Rocksteady’s continuation of the Arkham sequence. Its multiplayer and stay service ambitions shortly sunk it, and now Rocksteady is pivoting again to Batman and the single-player house, in accordance with a Bloomberg report from earlier this yr. That Batman recreation is probably going years away (if it ever sees mild of day), and it’s more and more probably that Rocksteady and DC as a complete go the complete PS5/Xbox Collection X era with no hit recreation.
Nonetheless, one comics large is extra clearly on an upwards trajectory than the opposite. Marvel is succeeding at that includes A-list characters like Spider-Man (each of ‘em) in video games in addition to spotlighting lesser-known heroes like Magik in Midnight Suns or freakin’ Jeff the Land Shark in Marvel Rivalswhereas DC is struggling getting its Trinity entrance and middle. Apart from Marvel TōkonMarvel additionally has Marvel Cosmic Invasion, Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, Marvel’s Wolverine, Marvel’s Bladeand an Iron Man recreation within the pipeline. In the meantime, DC has, if it ever truly comes out, The Wolf Amongst Us 2which gamers could not even understand is predicated on the comics sequence Fables from DC Comics’ Vertigo line.
Hopefully for Wednesday Warriors who need to embody their favourite heroes in video video gamesDC and Warner Bros. get their acts collectively sooner somewhat than later — all it may take is the announcement of an Injustice 3 for DC to construct again some momentum. Till that occurs (and please, NetherRealm, make it occur), Marvel will proceed to produce comics followers with what they need: some kick-ass superhero video games.
