Developer Drop Fake has announced a brand-new fighting game – DCKO – coming to Android and iOS in 2027. The title will feature characters from across various DC properties, and will be completely free-to-play. Fans of the comics and movies can pre-register for the game through its official website. The title was announced with a trailer, which you can check out below.
The trailer gives us a quick look at some gameplay from the 2-on-2 fighting game, and confirms that quite a few characters will be in the roster, including John Constantine, Nightwing, Poison Ivy, Blue Beetle, and Harley Quinn alongside the franchise stalwarts like Batman, Robin, Superman, and Wonder Woman.
As one would expect from a tag fighter, DCKO will allow players to mix-and-match combos from their two characters, seamlessly flowing in and out of various attacks. If you don’t quite want to tag your character out, the second character can also be called in for quick assist moves. However, since no HUD was shown throughout the trailer, it is difficult to tell whether DCKO will make use of a cooldown system or if there are other gameplay mechanics just yet.
Drop Fake has confirmed that DCKO will feature PvE missions for players interested in single-player content, as well as real-time PvP multiplayer matches. The announcement places quite a bit of emphasis on the idea that it will be a “pick up and play” experience that allows newcomers to keep up with those more experienced with the fighting game genre thanks to easy-to-understand gameplay.
As both Drop Fake and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment put it, DCKO will be the first of the latter’s mobile fighting games to feature online PvP, complete with leaderboards and ranked ladders. Along the way, players will also get to unlock new abilities and stat boosts, tying into a progression system for their character of choice.
Interestingly, players can spend time in the PvE mode to take on various enemies from throughout the DC comics, and the rewards earned here can also be used in PvP modes, including currency and character XP. The mode will also allow players to unlock new costumes for their characters.
“It was important to us that DCKO represented a significant leap forward for the fighting game genre on mobile,” said creative director Gene Campbell. “Live multiplayer games between players are core to the spirit of fighting games, and we are proud of the work we’ve done to bring this feature to mobile comic book fighters for the first time. We want to nurture a healthy, competitive scene for this game and will share more on that in the future. Our team is very experienced in delivering games that comic book fans adore, and we can’t wait to hear everyone’s feedback on DCKO when we launch next year.”
Visually, DCKO makes use of what is referred to as a “Neo-Comic” art style, with the intention being to make the characters look as close as possible to their comic book counterparts. There will also be plenty of stages to fight in, including Themiscyra, the Batcave, and the Lazarus Pits.
