Now that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has announced its final DLC character that should be the end of the “Which character should be in Smash?” cycle for at least a little while. It will obviously pick up again whenever rumors of a new game begin, but until then we’ll need to find different platform fighters to argue about. One game that many have already begun debating about is Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, but we may soon have another roster of characters to debate.
What started as a rumor on Reddit, but has been reported as real by GamesBeat’s Jeff Grubb, is a Warner Bros. Super Smash Bros. clone called Multiversus. The concept is just as it sounds: a crossover platform fighting game featuring WB licenses such as Shaggy from Scooby-Doo, Batman from DC Comics, and Tom and Jerry from, well, Tom and Jerry.
“…it also includes an unannounced Warner Bros. take on the genre with the working title Multiversus.
Like Smash Bros., Multiversus is a platform fighter. It features characters like Shaggy from Scooby-Doo, Gandalf from Lord of the Rings, Tom & Jerry, Batman, and more. I’ve confirmed that this game is real and these details are accurate as of today. But while some reports claim that Mortal Kombat developer NetherRealm Studios is working on the game, that is not the case.”
The report goes on to say that they’re going to try and use this game to get in on the media cycle that Nintendo would create for Super Smash Bros. by unveiling must-see DLC characters. One name that could possibly be among those DLC fighters? LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.
I can't confirm that this will go through, but I've heard that there are discussions of Lebron James, the character from Space Jam who hates video games, being one of the first DLC fighters.
— Grubb (@JeffGrubb) October 25, 2021
Regardless of the upfront business model, though, you should expect WB to lean into releasing DLC fighters. I’ve heard rumblings that WB is considering bringing in characters from its Space Jam films, including a certain active NBA star.
As weird as this entire thing sounds, WB having its own licensed fighting game really isn’t that much weirder than Nickelodeon or Super Smash Bros. They’ve technically already done the multiverse crossover thing with the most recent Space Jam movie. That said, there would be obvious difficulties if WB started trying to get the licenses of real-life people instead of fictional characters or cartoons. WB has a pretty vast library of fictional characters so it wouldn’t need to rely on a LeBron James to hook players in, but getting a huge name like that would definitely be a big pull for them.
Even without a big name, WB can still pull from licenses such as Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and DC Comics. That alone could get them Jake and Finn from Adventure Time, the crew from Aqua Teen Hungerforce, and any members of the Justice League. Obviously, all of this is still in the rumors phase right now, but hopefully, we learn more and get something official in the near future.