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Marvel Rivals was a success story nobody saw coming, but it comes with the realization that DC previously set the stage for the game with its forgotten online superhero shooter. Hitting harder than Thor’s hammer and landing with just as much impact, it is positively shocking that Marvel Rivals managed to exceed expectations with its IP-based game. Especially considering that DC Comics had previously made multiple attempts to succeed in the online multiplayer realm.
Gotham City Impostors was one such title. Impressive in its ambitions, today the Batman-inspired game raises a few important questions: What happened to it? What did it achieve? And, most importantly, are there lessons to be learned as Warner Bros. Games once again reevaluates DC’s future in the gaming space?
The Chaotic Rise of Gotham City Imposters, Explained
A Tale of Two Factions Explored an Exaggerated Take on Hero Worship
Launching in Dec. 2024, Marvel Rivals was a game that, much like Iron Man’s ultimate, came out of nowhere and obliterated every competitor in its wake. Developed by the Chinese studio NetEase Games, Marvel Rivals accumulated over 10 million players within 72 hours and nearly doubled that number within the first month.
A hero shooter set against the backdrop of a conflict between Doctor Doom and his cyberpunk counterpart, Doom 2099, the game pits players against each other in a war for Marvel’s multiverse. Featuring 13 destructible maps, five engaging game modes, and almost four dozen playable characters spanning Marvel’s pantheon, Marvel Rivals has cemented itself as one of gaming’s biggest recent success stories.
As players eagerly await future updates, the question remains, how did Marvel finally crack the multiplayer code, and was DC simply ahead of its time with Gotham City Impostors? When it comes to Warner Bros. Games, few properties rival the overwhelming success of Hogwarts Legacy, but even fewer characters have ever reached the heights of Batman.
Having redefined superhero video games with the groundbreaking Batman: Arkham series in 2009, it made sense for Warner Bros. to pursue new ways to capitalize on their most popular character. However, in one of the most baffling creative choices imaginable, they collaborated with Monolith Productions to adapt the Batman mythos (specifically, a franchise whose protagonist is infamously against firearms) into an online multiplayer shooter for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
The Jokerz first appeared in Batman Beyond, continuing to operate even after their namesake’s supposed death. Often depicted as teenagers adopting the Joker’s motif, they were initially framed for the murder of Warren McGinnis, which set his son Terry on a path of vengeance; one that would ultimately make him Batman’s successor.
From the title alone, it was clear that 2012’s Gotham City Impostors was not attempting to be a traditional Batman game. Instead, it sought to carve out its own chaotic legacy, one as iconic and deeply cut as the Joker’s scars. Unlike Injustice: Gods Among Us, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, or the Arkham games, Gotham City Impostors did not star Batman, the Bat-Family, or any of their legendary rogues.
Instead, it seemingly took inspiration from Batman Beyond’s Jokerz gang and The Dark Knight’s hockey-pad-wearing vigilantes, letting players customize and embody Gotham City’s most dedicated wannabes. These fanatics, divided into two factions known as the Bats and the Jokerz, waged war in the Dark Knight’s shadow. A strange take on the classic franchise, the lore was explored in surrounding media like Cartoon Network’s DC Nation Shorts and loosely reflected in the comics, giving its world a surprising amount of depth beyond the surface-level chaos.
Through Gotham City Imposters’ extensive character customization, players could fully embrace their inner vigilante or villain. Members of the Jokerz and Bats could be outfitted with ridiculous costume pieces and armed with absurd gadgets that would put even Adam West’s utility belt to shame. Players could zip across maps using roller skates, soar through the air on gliders, or swing into battle with grappling hooks with the game’s various movement mechanics.
Meanwhile, much like Batman himself, players had to strategize their arsenal to outmaneuver their enemies, wielding an assortment of DIY weapons such as a homemade freeze ray, a PVC-pipe rocket launcher, and a variety of customizable contraptions held together with duct tape and elbow grease.
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This gave the entire game a distinct “Batman on a budget” aesthetic, perfectly capturing the cartoonish and fanatical nature of its characters. At its core, Gotham City Impostors was a DC MOBA that pitted players against each other in a battle for supremacy across multiple game modes; just one short of Marvel Rivals’ five.
“Psych Warfare” was a capture-the-flag-style mode where teams fought over a battery to power a mind-control device capable of brainwashing the enemy. “Fumigation” saw the Jokerz attempting to gas their foes while the Bats tried to drive them out with a literal swarm of bats in a game that favored point control. “Bounty Hunter” turned the battlefield into a coin-collecting bloodbath.
And, of course, there was “Team Deathmatch,” which was exactly what it sounded like, a chaotic free-for-all of destruction. While there were also solo modes designed to help players acclimate to the gameplay, Gotham City Impostors was ultimately a multiplayer-first experience. Despite feeling more akin to Team Fortress 2 or the Call of Duty series, the game was undeniably ahead of its time, laying the groundwork for Marvel Rivals as one of the first major online superhero-themed shooters.
What Happened to Gotham City Impostors?
How DC’s Superhero Shooter Faded Into Obscurity
While Gotham City Impostors received mixed reviews from critics, many saw potential in its unique take on Gotham’s underbelly. Monolith’s game carved out a niche in the multiplayer shooter landscape, drawing comparisons to Team Fortress 2 and, in retrospect, Marvel Rivals. However, it raises the question: why did Monolith’s title fail to achieve the same lasting success and fanfare as Marvel Rivals, despite sharing many of the same core elements?
Unlike Marvel Rivals, the sad truth was that Gotham City Impostors suffered from a lack of meaningful updates or new content to keep players engaged. Early reviews prophetically warned that its long-term success would hinge on how frequently Monolith expanded its maps, modes, and upgrades. While the game’s offbeat humor and chaotic energy did much of the heavy lifting to immerse players in its world, the updates were few and far between.
While Harley Quinn remains the most popular, the Joker has had numerous similarly themed associates across various Batman media, including Gaggy, Punchline, Prank, and the Royal Flush Gang.
As a result, the gameplay quickly grew repetitive. Worse still, Gotham City Impostors was mostly left stranded on last-gen hardware as the PlayStation 4 era began, making it feel outdated. Eventually, the multiplayer game transitioned to a free-to-play model, but by then, its initial price tag, combined with a microtransaction-heavy shop had already deterred many players from picking up the Batman spinoff title.
Arguably, the biggest nail in the bat-shaped coffin was its flawed online matchmaking. Critics, including GameSpot, pointed out how unbalanced the gameplay could be, with long matchmaking queues, frustratingly slow lobbies, and frequent disconnections plaguing the experience.
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Much of this stemmed from the Batman title’s reliance on Games for Windows – Live and GameSpy, two services notorious for their unreliable online play. On consoles, Gotham City Impostors’ servers shut down just two years after launch, while the Steam version lasted longer but was ultimately delisted in 2021.
How Gotham City Impostors Was Ahead of Its Time
Gotham City Impostors Crashed Before It Could Take Off in an Emerging Genre
Despite falling harder than the Joker at the end of Tim Burton’s Batman, Gotham City Impostors was surprisingly ahead of its time. It was an earlier experiment to utilize a popular superhero IP as an online multiplayer shooter. And despite featuring a strange lack of Batman characters, it allowed players to create their own place in that world, claim it, and even destroy parts of it with outrageous weaponry. It was a great shooter that unfortunately became forgotten, but even post-mortem, Gotham City Impostors is worth reflecting on.
Even in the wake of Monolith Productions’ closing after the Wonder Woman video game fiasco and the failure of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, DCU director James Gunn has expressed interest in a direct answer to Marvel Rivals. While it is unlikely that Gotham City Imposters will get a second chance, there are some lessons to take away and ideas to play with.
“You know, kids, a lot has changed since your old Uncle Joker’s been away. New Gotham, new rules, even a new Batman. But now I’m tanned, I’m rested and I’m ready to give this old town a wedgie again!” – The Joker (Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, 2000)
Beyond its upgradable weapons and progression system, Gotham City Imposters had one thing that would allow it to compete with Marvel Rivals today: its character customization. While fans love donning Iron Man’s armor or wielding Loki’s staff, it is an entirely different experience to create a unique character that reflects the player.
As cool as Marvel Rivals skins are, and as sweet as it is to execute the right emote over an opposing player’s defeat, they can’t substitute the thrilling creativity of making a personalized vigilante or criminal and throwing them headfirst into Gotham’s dangerous streets.
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In an era where live-service games thrive on player expression, Gotham City Impostors could’ve been an exciting new addition to the MOBA landscape. Had Monolith’s title launched with better long-term support, a stronger roster, and a more stable online infrastructure, it could have paved the way for DC’s answer to Marvel Rivals.
While its legacy remains more of a cult curiosity than a defining moment in superhero gaming, Gotham City Impostors’ core concept, blending comic book chaos with customizable, team-based mayhem, proves that even a forgotten game can leave an impact.
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“}]] Marvel Rivals may have seen unimaginable success as an online superhero shooter, but DC’s Batman MOBA game set the pace for it 12 years prior. Read More