Warner Bros. Games Reportedly Shot Down a CONSTANTINE Video Game
The DC Universe is packed with incredible characters, yet when it comes to video games, Warner Bros. has a frustrating habit of playing it safe.
Sure, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman are DC icons and fun to play with, but the deeper DC roster also has so much potential. Characters like Constantine, who brings something cool and unique to the table.
Unfortunately, according to Bloomberg, WB Games was actually pitched a Constantine video game… and they rejected it. Yep, one of DC’s most intriguing antiheroes, a chain-smoking, demon-exorcising occult detective, had a shot at the gaming spotlight, only for the idea to get shut down.
A Constantine game could have been an awesome addition to WB’s gaming lineup. The Hellblazer comics have always had a completely different tone from your typical DC superhero fare.
Constantine is so different than the main superhero as he’s about surviving in a supernatural world filled magic and monsters. I love the thought of a single-player game where players could navigate a supernatural underworld, battling demons, outwitting ancient evils, and making shady deals.
It would have also added some much-needed variety to WB’s DC gaming catalog.
Constantine actually did have a game produced way back in 2005. It was a tie-in to the Keanu Reeves-led movie, released on Xbox, PS2, and PC.
While it wasn’t exactly a genre-defining classic, it still gave players a taste of what a supernatural detective game could look like.
Since then, Constantine has popped up here and there in games like Injustice 2 and DC Universe Online, but never as the lead. This recent rejected pitch could have changed that.
The news about the canned Constantine project is just a small part of a bigger problem at WB Games. The company is coming off two major flops with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and MultiVersus, and their future lineup isn’t exactly brimming with confidence.
Right now, the only other project in the works is the Wonder Woman game from Monolith, but that’s nowhere near being completed.
Rocksteady, once the golden child of DC gaming, seems to be pivoting back to Batman, which is exciting for Arkham fans, but even that feels like it's years away.
Meanwhile, instead of hearing about exciting new projects, we keep getting stories about games that were pitched and rejected, or started and scrapped. That’s not exactly reassuring for DC fans hoping for a fresh gaming experience.
The Constantine game is just another “what if?” in a long line of missed opportunities.