It’s fair to say things have been a little turbulent for DCover the last few months. Following the comic book icon’s owner Warner Bros. merging with Discovery, almost all of its projects have been thrown into a degree of doubt. Even though games likeGotham Knightsare now gearing up for release, DC’s live-action plans have been completely upended. Betweenthe cancellation of 2022’s DC Fandomeand the ongoing woes surrounding the DCEU, fans are currently unsure what form its future TV shows and movies will take.
One corner of DC’s multiverse that arguably typifies this the best isArrowand the broader Arrowverse. AlthoughArrowandits combined series of TV shows have been praised on numerous occasions, it looks as though The CW’s experiment is about to come to an end – at least on the small screen. For a long list of reasons it is easy to believe that the Arrowverse could live on in different forms. An MMO in particular, could be the ideal way for shows likeThe Flash,Batwoman, andSupergirlto carry on into the future.
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The Arrowverse’s Fate
In a lot of ways, The CW’s Arrowverse was ahead of its time. While DC was struggling to create a shared live-action universe for its characters on the big screen that could rival Marvel’s MCU, the TV network arguably excelled on the same front. Following the successful launch ofArrowin 2012, a long list of characters and series followedin the wake of Oliver Queen. So much so that, 7 years later, the universe that incorporated the hero’s alter-ego into its name was able to convincingly adapt the iconicCrisis on Infinite Earthscomic book storyline.
Although the multi-episode crossover was able to bring togetherSuperman, The Flash, Black Lightning, and a laundry list of other heroes, its achievements have failed to safeguard the Arrowverse in the long run. Thanks to several factors behind the scenes, during the early months of 2022 The CW started to cancel most its superhero-themed programs. With DC’s owners currently restructuring the publisher’s output from top-to-bottom, all signs point to the Arrowverse ending in the format that fans have come to know.
As it stands right now the only Arrowverse show still in production isThe Flash, which has been given a final season to wrap up its stories. Even though the Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch ledSuperman and Loisonce started out as a part of the Arrowverse, DC has gone to great lengths to sever those connections. Similarly, the network’s upcomingGotham Knightsshow is an entirely standalone project. That means when Barry Allen’s series reaches its season finale, the combined universe will fall silent in live-action.
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The Arrowverse’s MMO Potential
Just because the Arrowverse’s time on the small screen appears to be ending, that doesn’t mean that fans have seen the last of its characters. Being a comic book publisher, it’s little surprise thatDC has frequently extended the lifeof its shows in print. The CW’s ownSmallville,for example, famously received a post-TV run that even featured a recognizable Justice League roster. While comic books therefore seem like a route DC will eventually explore, the gaming industry could provide an equally fitting alternative in the form of an MMO.
Thanks to the Arrowverse’s interconnected nature, characters, and locales, it’s easy to imagine an MMO based on it being received well. After all, much of the groundwork making its theoretical universe feel believable and enticing has already been done on screen over the last decade. In a similar vein, superheroes and their eclectic mix of otherworldly powers also suit a medium such as gaming remarkably well. Players only have to look at thesuccess of theArkhamandInjusticefranchisesfor evidence of that.
From a simple premise and mechanical perspective then, all of the key conceptual pieces are already inplace for an Arrowverse MMOto succeed. Even some of the theoretical limitations of the genre wouldn’t necessarily be major stumbling blocks. The idea that players can’t always play as their favorite licensed heroes in MMOs, could be resolved by the Arrowverse’s own composition. Most of the universe’s superheroes had support teams, so creating a new powered member of one of those, that’s able to fight alongside a mentor, could be a solid solution.
Similar MMOs
If DC and The CW need further proof of how viable an Arrowverse MMO could be, there’s a list of contemporary examples that both parties could look into. Even though their genres, themes, and mechanics are different,Star Trekonce underwent a similar crisis as the one approaching the Arrowverse. Following the polarizing reception toEnterprisein the early 2000s, the iconic sci-fi series vanished from the small screen in 2005. The Prime Timeline wouldn’t return to TV until 2017’sStar Trek: Discovery. For long stretches of that gap however,theStar Trek OnlineMMOwas entertaining fans with brand-new adventures within the universe they loved.
There’s reason to believe that, once the dust settles onDC restructuring plans, a similar Arrowverse project could be possible. Thanks to Greg Berlanti’s continuing role within the publisher’s live-action projects, one of the key minds behind the initial formation of the universe is still around. Theoretically at least, there’s a chance that he could help out with storyline planning and other aspects of development. FInding an appropriate studio to create the theoretical MMO on the other hand, could be the biggest stumbling block. Between games likeWonder WomanandGotham Knights, most of WB’s teams are currently occupied.
Provided that a development studio can be found that’s got the time needed to nurture an MMO, there’s reason to believe that DCand its owners would allow an Arrowverse game to thrive. It’s worth keeping in mind that it wouldn’t be the publisher’s first attempt at a superhero MMO. That’s because back in 2011,DC Universe Onlinelaunched on PC and PS3. Although the game has faded from the forefront of public attention in recent years, it’s still being updated to this day. From a storytelling, gameplay, and success footing then, most of the work has already been done for an MMO based onArrowand its CW peers to happen.
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