Unleashing the Unpredictable: Why DC Needs to Embrace Its Wackiest Licensed Game Again

Highlights

Both Marvel and DC have been struggling to capture audiences with their new online titles, such as Marvel's Avengers and Gotham Knights.

DC could enhance its success by revisiting one of its most unconventional titles, Gotham City Impostors. This game provided a distinctive multiplayer FPS experience that took place in Gotham City. Although Gotham City Impostors offered customization options, chaotic battles, and an enjoyable link to the Batman intellectual property, it ultimately didn't thrive due to insufficient updates and server closures.

Both major comic book companies have been attempting to capture audiences with new online titles, but their efforts have been largely unsuccessful. Marvel Games released Marvel's Avengers, which fell flat soon after its release. Similarly, DC attempted to excite fans with Gotham Knights and is now trying again with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, but interest from fans has been lackluster. Both studios have struggled to grasp the concept fully, but DC could find success by revisiting one of its most peculiar titles.

Throughout the years, there have been several unusual comic book games, but one of the oddest was 2012's Gotham City Impostors. It offered a completely unique experience for fans of the Batman franchise, and nothing has quite captured its essence since. While it had its flaws, a revamped version of Gotham City Impostors has the potential to succeed where recent DC games have fallen short. The possibility alone is thrilling and could be exactly what DC needs at this moment.

Gotham City Impostors Could Thrive Today

Gotham City Impostors stood out from DC's extensive collection of titles as a unique and unconventional game. It was a multiplayer first-person shooter set in the streets of Gotham City. Each match consisted of six players, each portraying amusing versions of DC's iconic characters. One team represented rookie vigilantes sporting Batman-like attire, while the other team donned costumes inspired by the Joker. These homemade costumes added to the game's eccentricity, and the weapons available to players were equally outlandish.

The gameplay in Gotham City Impostors followed a familiar pattern for fans of games like Overwatch. Various game modes pitted two teams against each other in exciting and chaotic battles. In Psych Warfare, players defended a battery, while Fumigation required capturing three command posts. Bounty Hunter involved collecting coins from defeated enemies, and Team Deathmatch brought classic first-person shooter enjoyment. These modes took place in over-the-top maps scattered throughout Gotham City, and the team with the highest score emerged as the worthy victor.

Players had extensive control over the appearance of their character in the game, allowing them to customize costumes, gadgets, weapon choices, and even adjust the size of their character. These weapons and gadgets offered a wide range of abilities, heavily influenced by themes from Batman comics. This provided an enjoyable experience for fans of the Batman franchise. Unfortunately, despite receiving decent reviews initially, Gotham City Impostors did not have enough lasting appeal. It eventually became available as a free-to-play game on PC after its release on consoles, but received no further updates. The shutdown of GameSpy in 2014 led to the discontinuation of the PS3 servers. Subsequently, the game was left to gather dust on Steam until it was finally removed in 2021. Although it can still be played on Xbox 360, it will no longer be available for purchase once the Xbox 360 store shuts down. Since there were no physical copies released, the game is likely to be forgotten over time.

Gotham City Impostors, although not flawless, served as a captivating example of an original online game set in the DC Comics universe. Given the current popularity of hero shooters and FPS games, it has the potential to thrive if DC addresses its shortcomings and delivers a steady flow of post-launch content. While it is highly improbable that DC will revisit this title, it would be an awe-inspiring and delightful surprise if they were willing to take the risk.