I hold theArkhamgames up as one of my favourite series in gaming. I’m happy to include Origins in there - it’s the worst of the lot, but not as bad as people would have you believe. However, I draw the line atSuicide Squad: Kill The Justice League. It’s not just a fear over its quality talking, either. Harley seems very different in design and characterisation, while the whole aesthetic and gameplay formula has changed too. In my book, it’s just a game by the same studio, not an Arkham game. James Gunn’s book says different.
It remains to be seen what Gunn can do atDCas its new head honcho. He has an excellent track record thus far, making one solid movie in between two great ones for Marvel, and I loved his darkly comedic take on The Suicide Squad, which was as ridiculous as it was emotionally resonant.Marvelhas lost a filmmaker with a clear identity and vision at a time when it desperately needs one. But I don’t think he’s a guaranteed success for DC either.
The problem is DC has not hired Gunn to make movies, but to run its universe. That’s a very different task, and DC offers a baptism of fire. Gunn isn’t getting to start from scratch - since he arrived,Shazam 2 and The Flash have bombed, and look set to be joined by Aquaman 2. It’s still unclear how much any of these movies and their stories will remain in the new universe, the split between which stories ‘count’ feels confusing for general audiences, and theMCUis showing that the era of superhero dominance may be over.
Still, I wish Gunn well and all things being equal, prefer DC’s range of heroes and villains, even if Marvel has been more successful with bringing its characters to the silver screen. But it’s the Arkham games that are giving me pause. Where Kevin Feige, Gunn’s Marvel equivalent, just runs the MCU (which also includes theDisney PlusTV shows), Gunn instead runs the entire universe. Much like what’s staying and what’s going, no one is quite sure what that means, but it leaves video games in his remit… kinda.
Gunn initially said that all DC appearances across film, TV, and games would be linked, but has since either had a change of heart, or realised that’s not a viable plan given the vast difference in production schedules.The Wonder Woman game was revealed two years agoand we know as much then as we did now. Gunn has enough experience of video games to know better too, having been actively involved in the development ofLollipop Chainsaw(though not the remake).
Then we come to the Arkham games. Gunn was asked on Twitter if Suicide Squad would be the last Arkham game, to whichGunn appeared to reply “no plans on it being the last”. However, he deleted this and then posted a new (still up) answer to a slightly different question on whether all future games would be based on the movie universe: “No way! I personally can’t wait for the game and hopefully more. I’m a fan!”
The original reply was screenshotted byreliable insider Miller Ross, who suggested Gunn’s comments would lead to “interesting conversations” at launch. Could it lead into Monolith’s Wonder Woman game?
Here’s the thing - I don’t think Gunn should be making these calls. I love his work as a filmmaker and I know he has respect for video games as an art form. I just don’t believe his duties should include overseeing the games, and I also don’t think the games need to be an interconnected universe. PlayStation’sSpider-Mangames have seen huge success as a standalone saga, and games already face far more restrictions on their development than movies with technical limitations, deadlines, and focus testing for lining up with the expectations of an outside universe to be considered too.
And maybe it’s not Gunn’s call. His answer is positive but non-committal, and while the universe finds its feet, it makes sense for Gunn to act as the public face rather than clarify every detail. We’ve gotten this far without mentioning Peter Safran, Gunn’s co-CEO, because Gunn has always been the one who connects with the public. The messaging right now needs to be “buy Suicide Squad!” and that’s probably why Gunn changed his reply from hinting at a decision to ‘hope not, the game rocks’.
I think the Arkhamverse is already over. Kill the Justice League is like Scrubs season nine - I’m just not gonna count it. I don’t know what happens next, but DC has enough goodwill left with me, especially in the digital realm, for me to go with it. But there needs to be a separation of church and state - Gunn can play cheerleader all he wants, so long as he’s not also the coach.
