Rumored Smash-style crossover game to star WB characters like Shaggy, Batman, and Gandalf

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

On the one hand, I'll believe it when I see it. On the other hand, something as cynical as a "Smash Warner Bros." game inspired by the Powerful Shaggy meme is exactly what I'd expect from the company responsible for Space Jam 2.

This rumor began with a post on GamingLeaksAndRumours that claims a crossover platform fighter called Multiversus is in development, and it will star characters including Shaggy from Scooby-Doo, Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings, Tom & Jerry, Batman, Fred Flintstone, Mad Max, and Johnny Bravo.

"I was told that the origin of this game was actually due to the memes based around Shaggy getting into Mortal Kombat in his 'Ultra Instinct' form", says the post, which links to a trademark application for the name Multiversus as its only proof. The animated film Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms did feature Shaggy reaching out of the Warner Bros. logo to grab Scorpion in reference to the meme, so I guess people at WB must be aware of it?

THEY MADE ULTRA INSTINCT SHAGGY CANON?! pic.twitter.com/5cU9hHy8Q8August 31, 2021

The post also claimed that NetherRealm would be the developer, which was disputed by patron saint of videogame leaks Jeff Grubb. Grubb tweeted, "This WB platform fighter is real, but it is not a Netherrealm game. Come on."

If that's true, and NetherRealm are instead busy with Mortal Kombat 12 or whatever, then who would be up for developing this? Hopefully someone who gives it a better PC version than the shoddy Nickelodeon All-Stars Brawl port. Riot Games do have that League of Legends fighting game codenamed Project L coming up, maybe the reason they've been so quiet about it is that they're pitting League of Legends characters against Shaggy and Batman, Marvel vs. Capcom-style? Honestly, after the Dune/Fortnite crossover, who knows what someone in marketing is going to green-light next.

Jody's first computer was a Commodore 64, so he remembers having to use a code wheel to play Pool of Radiance. A former music journalist who interviewed everyone from Giorgio Moroder to Trent Reznor, Jody also co-hosted Australia's first radio show about videogames, Zed Games. He's written for Rock Paper Shotgun, The Big Issue, GamesRadar, Zam, Glixel, Five Out of Ten Magazine, and Playboy.com, whose cheques with the bunny logo made for fun conversations at the bank. Jody's first article for PC Gamer was about the audio of Alien Isolation, published in 2015, and since then he's written about why Silent Hill belongs on PC, why Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale is the best fantasy shopkeeper tycoon game, and how weird Lost Ark can get. Jody edited PC Gamer Indie from 2017 to 2018, and he eventually lived up to his promise to play every Warhammer videogame.