What we know about James Gunn's DCU video game plan
Blog Andrew Joseph 17 Jul , 2025 0
This is a bird! This is an airplane! This is the first movie in the modified DC Universe by James Gunn!
Now that Superman is coming out, James Gunn's DC universe is fully beginning…or? Although Gunn now releases a movie, TV show (Peacemaker) and an animated series (Bio Commando), under his management, DC Universe Puzzle is still missing a portion: video games.
Gunn told fans in 2022 that his overall plan for the interconnected DC Universe includes video games. However, unlike in terms of film and television, there is no official announcement about the first DC Universe video game.
However, not revealing does not mean that we are not quite clear about what we expect. During multiple interviews and news events, Gunn and United Stadium head Peter Safran explained their plans, including despite their technical failure to oversee Warner Bros. The Gaming Department is now in a deeper collaboration between WB Games and DC Studios that can dramatically change the way DC video games will be played in the future. With this in mind, let's analyze what the future of gaming in the new DCU era will look like.
Gunn takes over DC
We first learned that on October 25, 2022, shortly after he and producer Peter Safran announced as co-head of DC Studios. For this, he Simply answer: “Yes.
It won't be until a few months later Gunn reveals As part of Chapter 1, which movies and shows are under development, this is the phase 1 of the DCU equivalent to the MCU. Although video games are clearly ignored in Chapter 1 Roadmap, Gunn told the press that TV, movies, movies and games are all playing other roles in the same universe. This is the first clear sign for Gunn that video games are indeed part of his plan for the DCU.
One important thing to know is that Gunn's job as head of DC Studios does not include control over Warner Bros' video game studio, which includes developers such as Avalanche Software (Hogwarts Legacy), Netherlands Studios (Mortal Kombat), Rocksteady Studios (Rocksteady Studios (Batman Arkham) and TT Games (Lego).
Under the current Warner Bros Discovery company structure, Warner Bros. Games exist separately from DC Studios and is overseen by JB Perrette, CEO of global streaming and gaming, Warner Bros. Discovery. However, after Gunn and Safran were appointed co-heads of DC in 2022, Perett appears to be delaying the issue of comic video games to the new DC boss.
Wall breakdown between WB Games and DC Studios
In an interview type Perrette revealed in 2024: “Frankly, the relationship between the studio and the gaming business is not as close as it should be. James is actually a player, so it’s very helpful to have someone passionate about it.” Perrette added that the gaming department is now “actively working with Gunn and Safran in the core franchise within the DC Universe”.
According to this interview, it appears that there was once a wall that separates WB's gaming department from movies and TV studios. According to Perrette, a newly discovered sense of collaboration was achieved only after Gunn and Safran took over DC Studios.
A year later, the wall was confirmed in a DC Studio speech on February 24, 2025. During the event, James Gunn and Peter Safran confirmed Perett’s statement about the separation between the two WB departments and the changes in this relationship since their takeover.
“We worked very closely with JB Perrette, who runs the division, and it's really the first time with Warner Bros,” Safran confirmed. “It's great, we love it so much. Everything is so isolated and it's totally broken now, and it's great. Because it's also suitable for consumer products and experiences, and everything DC touches now runs through us, which is great.”
“James (Gunn) and I were sitting under JB running the studio,” Safran added. “Whether it was Netherrealm or Rocksteady,[we]sat with them and talked about the characters and stories we were interested in, and they were interested in them.”
Safran mentions Rocksteady Reported earlier this year The studio is developing a new single-player Batman game. While it's too early, at least according to Gunn and Safran, there might be some input on the side of DC Studios.
“We saw the design of these projects at the earliest stages,” Gunn said at the event. “When they talk about what the story might be, we said, ‘Okay, maybe you want to go like that because we’re going to use this character to do something, etc.’ and help with that.”
Does this mean Gunn will be entirely responsible for the next Rocksteady Batman game? Not exactly. Gunn confirmed this “Not all” When another fan on X shared their concerns about their indie experiences like the Rocksteady’s Arkham series, the game will be related to the overall story of DCU. So, depending on where Rocksteady wants to play in the next single-player Batman game, it has the potential to include it in the DCU, or be seen as an independent universe like Matt Reeves' Batman Movie.
In addition, Perett said in the above variety interview that WB's game studio will still produce projects based on the best projects of studios and gamers, saying: “We won't be purely because we feel obliged to play Superman. We have to provide assistants for game strategies and fans and consumers.”
How James Gunn's DCU has shaped the game
Even though DC's full game plan remains a mystery, we've seen Gunn's unified vision for DC in several games.
“Our characters can go in and out of animation or jump into games or on big screens, but they stay consistent throughout the process: the same characters, the same history, the same actors,” Gunn said during this time News Tour Biological Commando Last year – on February 28, 2024, the Peacemaker was added to Mortal Kombat 1 months later.
As Gunn said, Netherrealm invited John Cena to reprise his TV and film roles as the Peacemaker of Mortal Kombat 1. Not only is his similarity and design the same as the versions of the characters and Suicide Squad movies that appear in the HBO series, but even his Suicide Squad movies, even his form Victory posture In Live Pole 1, 1 directly refers to the Peacemaker's Opening credits for gorgeous rock themes.
Similarly, this month’s content with Fortnite’s Superman theme for Superman, Mr. Tarrific and engineers provided skins, both based on the movie’s corresponding similarity. So, you are not a comic version of these characters, but a superman who plays David Corenswet, Mr. Tarrific of Edi Gathegi and an engineer at Maria Gabriela de Faria. Like the peacemaker, as Gunn promised, any appearance of DCU characters in video games will be the same as their movie and TV counterparts (with the exception of those standalone projects, of course Gunn promises too).
“Since taking power, our Real North has been bringing DC movies, TV, animation and games under a banner and bringing solidarity and consistency throughout the DCU,” Gunn said ahead of the premiere of Creature Commandos. “This has enabled us to unleash a diverse and engaging range of products and provide an excellent independent entertainment experience on each medium while also being part of the bigger story we tell in a unified DCU.”
Under Warner Bros, DC games are already tough. Warner Bros. even considers Sell its gaming business completely.
Although the fate of WB Games has changed with the huge success of games like Hogwarts Legacy, there are still no official words about the future of DC video games. But, according to Gunn, Safran and Perrette's statements, it's clear that Warner Bros. Games and DC Studios work in depth in any upcoming video game starring DC's Caped Heroes. Despite the basic expectation that if DC's movies and shows are in the game, it will feature the same actor, and the full plan for DC's video games, especially from developers like Rocksteady, remains to be seen.
Be sure to check out our full list Upcoming DC movies and TV showsand ours Superman Comment For our full DC coverage.
Matt Kim is an advanced feature editor for IGN.