Marvel Rivalshas undeniably been one of Marvel’s biggest risks regarding how it would adapt to the claustrophobic pressures and standards of the contemporary video game industry. Having suffered a couple of notable misfires from developers Eidos-Montreal and Crystal Dynamics concerning a single-playerGuardians of the Galaxygame and alive-service, multiplayerAvengersgame, respectively—whose common denominator was their publisher, Square Enix—it was a bold choice to embrace the live-service realm once again, particularly for a 6v6 hero shooter with a striking art style.
Perhaps imbued by this art style and what the genre could do to help revitalize Marvel in a new age,Marvel Rivalsis a sensational live-service game that can now rest on its laurels and debut new playable characters for the foreseeable future while reveling in post-launch seasonal content and cosmetic bundles. Meanwhile,DCand Warner Bros. have continuously struggled to find their footing in the video game landscape apart from the seminalBatman: Arkhamfranchise. Now, with another high-stakes stab at a live-service game,DCcould and should lean fully and unabashedly into the idea of a ‘Marvel Rivalsclone,’ which, conceptually, already has a stalwart fanbase.
DC is Once More in the Live-Service Market—WB Games Montreal, No Less
There may always be at least a tiny bit of interest in whatever new DC game is on the horizon because of how monumental DC is. Likewise, James Gunn’s first DCU entries,Creature CommandosandSuperman, are working tremendously hard to rewrite DC’s legacy in the modern-day with new audiences in mind and an overhaul to the cinematic universe’s overall storytelling structure. It’s still unknown how Gunn’s DCU will affect future DC games, assuming that it will, but a recent job posting from WB Games Montreal reveals that there is anew live-service DC game in development.
WB Games Montreal is known for developingBatman: Arkham OriginsandGotham Knights, the former being a cult classic that has endured to become afan-favoriteArkhamgame, and the latter being a highly maligned action-RPG that failed to successfully withdraw itself from Batman’s shadow. For it to be developing a live-service game suggests that Warner Bros. is indeed indulging in such efforts wholeheartedly, and there’d simply be no better option for DC right now than to launch its ownMarvel Rivalsclone, which it could cleverly dub ‘DC Allies’ in contrast.
DC Desperately Needs Its Own Marvel Rivals, and Shouldn’t Be Shy About It
Rocksteady’sSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, WB Games Montreal’sGotham Knights, andMonolith’s would-beWonder Womanhave blemished Warner Bros. Games, and it will take a truly unique or formidable pitch to dig it out of the rut it’s in. Insisting on another live-service game demonstrates nothing if not bravery, and aMarvel Rivalsclone embracing NetEase’s strengths and ingenuity could be wholly admirable, much less brilliant, especially if it went with a title as on-the-nose asDC Alliesand behaved precisely like the naked DC Comics counterpart toMarvel Rivalsthat it would be.
In fact,DC Alliesis the title of a subredditthat’s immersively devoted to the premise of the hypothetical game, and DC and WB Games Montreal breathing legitimate life into it would evidently be a dream come true for its fanbase.
To be fair,Marvel Rivalsisn’t exactly original or unique since it copiesOverwatch’s homework quite intimately. Therefore,aDC Allies Marvel Rivalsclonedoing the same couldn’t be frowned upon or spoken ill of concerning where it drew its inspiration from. ADC Alliescould even decide to alienate itself a little fromMarvel Rivalsin a few design-conscious ways if it felt the need to:
It’s enticing to imagine what characters like Martian Manhunter, Zatanna, Flash, or Raven might play like. Plus, likeMarvel Rivals’ original continuity lore, it’d be fascinating to discover a brand-new DC universe with the developer’s own iterations on beloved characters, settings, and canon events. That said, only time may tell what WB Games Montreal’s live-service DC game will manifest as, and that’s dependent on whether it manifests at all.
