DC has announced a new fighting game, but it is not the Injustice 3 reveal many fans have been waiting to see. The new game is DCKO, a free-to-play mobile fighter from Drop Fake built around 2v2 tag battles with heroes and villains from across the DC Universe.
The reaction has been mixed because the announcement hits close to something fans clearly want. DC characters are fighting again, teams can swap mid-match, and the roster already includes major names, but the game is coming to iOS and Android in 2027 instead of launching as a full console and PC fighter from NetherRealm.
DCKO lets players build teams of two DC Legends and switch between them during fights. The tag system allows assists, combo extensions, and large team attacks, which gives the game a different shape from the one-on-one style that made Injustice so familiar.
Drop Fake is developing and self-publishing the game with an official DC license from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The studio says it has developers with experience on major mobile fighting games, which helps explain why DCKO is being built around phone-first systems instead of a traditional controller-based release.
The 2027 mobile launch is the main reason some fans are unsure how to feel. A new DC fighting game sounds exciting on paper, but many players expected the next big announcement to be a premium console game with a full story mode, deeper fighting systems, and a clear link to the Injustice audience.
DCKO is not being pitched as a tiny mobile spin-off with only a few familiar faces. Drop Fake says the game will launch with more than 20 DC Legends, with characters like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Constantine, and Nightwing already shown or named.
The PvE side is also trying to use more of the DC Universe than a basic arcade ladder. Players will fight through story-driven content tied to threats like the League of Assassins, Amazo’s forces, and Trigon’s demons, giving the game a wider comic-book setup.
Live PvP is being treated as a major part of the package, with players able to fight real opponents, climb leaderboards, upgrade characters, unlock abilities, and build teams around different styles. That could make DCKO more competitive than a simple character collector, depending on how fair its free-to-play systems feel.
The issue for many fans is that DCKO sounds like a DC fighting game without being the DC fighting game they expected. Injustice 2 is now old enough that players have spent years asking when NetherRealm will return to the series with a proper sequel.
A mobile tag fighter can still be good, but it does not fill the same space as a full Injustice follow-up. Fans want cinematic story chapters, full controller play, deeper competitive systems, strong online support, and the kind of presentation NetherRealm brought to its earlier DC games.
DCKO now has to win players over as its own thing instead of being judged only as the game that is not Injustice 3. The DC roster gives Drop Fake a strong start, but the real test will be whether the combat, monetization, PvP balance, and long-term support make fans feel like this is a serious new DC fighter.
