On March 14, Funplus launched one of this year’s most anticipated strategy games: DC: Dark Legion, on iOS, Android, and PC via the official game website.
The game reached 5 million players and boasts excellent player ratings of 4.8 stars on the Apple App Store and 4.5 stars on the Google Play Store. Over its launch weekend, it held the No. 1 spot in free-to-play strategy games in more than 40 countries.
David Du, the game’s producer, says his career has wandered up and down with many tries and failures. He also mentioned that he has been super fortunate to work with superstar colleagues at Lilith Games and Supercell.
You have a diverse background in game development, including roles at studios like Lilith and Supercell. Can you share a bit about your career path and how those experiences led you to become the producer of DC: Dark Legion? What key lessons from your journey have helped you in this role?
It’s been quite the ride with 16 years in game development, working everywhere from the US to Finland and China. I’ve had the privilege to work on such groundbreaking projects as State of Survival, Brawl Stars, Clash of Clans, and Art of Conquest. My journey kicked off with Dog Show Friends, my first project after graduating from Columbia University.
Each game, each country has taught me something invaluable, perfectly prepping me for the unique challenges of DC: Dark Legion. What I have learned is that focusing on your community and understanding the markets is crucial!
While business metrics are important, if you deliver the value your players expect, then the metrics follow naturally. Our community wants the highest quality content, the most rewarding social experience, and top-tier service. So we need to live up to their expectations, listen to them, and iterate fast enough to meet their needs.
What was the initial creative vision for DC: Dark Legion when you first started the project, and how did you set the direction for the team? Did that vision evolve during development, and if so, what were the biggest influences or changes along the way?
From the beginning, DC: Dark Legion followed an original narrative that draws inspiration from the DC Comics universe, particularly the Dark Nights: Metal storyline. However, it doesn’t directly adapt an existing comic arc—instead, it introduces a unique multiversal story that stands on its own while incorporating elements from beloved DC Comics.
DC: Dark Legion is a strategy game with RPG and social elements. It innovates over other strategy games in a variety of ways.
First of all, a standout feature is its high-quality and compelling narrative, penned by the exceptionally talented DC writers, Christos Gage and Amanda Deibert. This allows players to delve into a richly crafted story, and at their own pace.
Second, we’ve crafted a completely new gameplay experience through our emphasis on DC’s iconic characters. While many modern strategy games feature character cultivation systems, these characters often serve merely as “commanders” who enhance an army rather than engaging directly in combat.
However, it’s only natural that DC Super Heroes and Super-Villains would hold their own in combat! The ability to cultivate these characters and deploy them directly onto the battlefield creates a truly immersive gameplay experience.
Another innovative aspect is that unlike traditional strategy games, there’s no way to raid a player’s base. Our PvP modes are more like team sports, where you may win or lose a match, but you don’t do any lasting damage to your opponents. This ensures that progress is dependent on time investment, allowing players to advance at their own pace.
The DC: Dark Legion development team drew inspiration from several key sources to create this unique mobile strategy game:
- The iconic DC universe and its renowned locations such as Gotham City, Metropolis, Central City, and many more
- The power of strategic storytelling inspired by the storyline of the acclaimed DC Comic book series – Dark Nights: Metal
- A love for accessible, immersive mobile games that offer deep, strategic gameplay, coupled with cinematic battles and a compelling story
- The eternal battle between good and evil that has shaped so many of DC’s epic sagas
- Community driven gameplay through cooperation and competition – these are at the heart of DC: Dark Legion
We’ve managed to stay true to our original vision, but have adapted and improved along the way thanks to a close collaboration with the DC and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment team as well as valuable feedback from our community.
The game blends strategic base-building, team combat, and an auto-battler system within a mobile/PC strategy framework. What were some of the key design decisions you made to unify these systems into a cohesive experience?
In the game, players will feel the weight of the DC universe’s greatest battle from the first tap, like they’ve stepped into a war for reality itself. The combination of strategy, iconic characters, and immersive storytelling should make them feel like they’re not just watching a DC story unfold; they’re leading it.
One of the key features of this game is the ability for players to build and customize their own Batcave to reflect their unique combat power. Players can develop champion training rooms, access advanced technologies (including alien and magical artifacts), and transform the Batcave into a powerful bastion against forces of all evil.
On top of the ability to build a Batcave, players can also build shelters to save civilians. Players can also evolve the shelters, starting out with tents, and progressively growing the shelter to become a proper city.
DC: Dark Legion allows players to engage in epic PvP battles against players from around the world. These battles test players´ combat prowess and strategic skills, and allow them to secure victory and establish dominance in the DC world.
Another feature is the ability to recruit and upgrade Champions, and mixing and matching these lineups of DC Super Heroes and Super-Villains, as well as being able to mix and match Super Heroes and Super-Villains.
By carefully selecting and combining characters with complementary skills, talents, and from the same alliances, players can build a roster that offers strategic advantages and maximizes effectiveness in battle.
We’ve worked hard to ensure that all of these elements work together, so there’s plenty of variety for players whilst ensuring they are aware of how every detail fits into the overarching narrative.
What were the biggest challenges you and your team faced during development, whether technical (cross-platform launch with mobile+pc), creative, or organizational, and how did you overcome them?
The pivotal moment in our development journey came when we decided to transition the game from a landscape to a portrait orientation. This decision was made nearly two years into development, and even after we had entered early access.
This shift was driven by feedback from our community and insights from our performance metrics, signaling that a significant change was necessary. It was not about the orientation of the screen, but about aligning the game with the core values we want DC: Dark Legion to embody for our players: Simplicity and Sociability.
Simplicity because we wanted to design the game’s controls to be manageable with just one thumb, making the gameplay accessible, even for those new to gaming. And sociability, because we wanted to enhance all Social aspects of the game, including the chat, which we wanted to make as straightforward and intuitive as using texting or messaging apps.
To embody these principles, we basically redesigned the whole game around these two core values and revamped the entire first 3 hours of gameplay. Implementing such a significant change so late in the game’s development was daunting and nerve-wracking, but it was all worth it!
We are immensely grateful and relieved that the transition was so successful, and that many players who originally preferred the landscape orientation came back to enjoy the new experience.
Working with an iconic franchise like DC Comics can be both exciting and challenging. How did partnering with DC shape the development of Dark Legion?
Always stay true to DC lore! That’s the number one principle behind all of our design.
Whenever we have an idea, we first have a brainstorming session with our writers, as well as with DC and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
Players are downloading the game and giving us their time because it’s a DC game, so we want to make sure the experience is super authentic for them. Those collaborative brainstorming sessions have been a goldmine of great & innovative ideas, designs, and details. We benefit a lot from them.
Why did you choose the Dark Nights: Metal storyline as the narrative foundation for DC: Dark Legion?
While DC: Dark Legion follows an original multiversal narrative and doesn’t directly adapt an existing comic arc, it draws significant inspiration from Dark Nights: Metal, along with other DC comics. When choosing the setting for the game, we were inspired by the “Metal” storyline because it shows Bruce Wayne challenged in a truly groundbreaking way: How do you fight your own shadow?
Our Super Heroes ultimately prevail after a hard-fought battle, but we also get to peek at all those “what-if” universes where they failed.
This scenario offers a perfect entry point for the players, acting as the commanders, to carve out their own narrative and their own story in this sea of possibilities.
As the producer, how do you approach leadership and project management on a game of this scale? What strategies do you use to align multidisciplinary teams around creative vision, deadlines, and production goals?
Vision first! Nothing is more important than the love for DC and the devotion of our community. As the producer of a large-scale mobile game, leadership and project management are all about aligning execution with shared vision. All cross-functional teams—art, design, development, UA—work around a shared creative vision and well-defined production goals.
To do this effectively, I rely on a few key strategies:
- Starting with a clear North Star: We started out with a clear and simple vision, and went on to create Design Pillars which apply to both game development and marketing. We make sure everyone understands not just what we’re building, but why. From creative direction to gameplay mechanics, every decision should ladder up to the game’s core vision and player experience.
- Creating collaborative workflows: I encourage open communication and regular syncs between disciplines, so teams stay aligned and can solve problems together, early.
- Milestone planning with flexibility: We use agile methods to plan in sprints, but we’re realistic about scope and buffer for iteration. Mobile games are living products, so adaptability is key.
- Transparency and trust: I make sure timelines and expectations are visible, and I trust my leads to own their domains. When everyone feels ownership, we move faster and more creatively.
- Player-first mindset: No matter the complexity of the production, our decisions always center on what’s best for the player. That keeps everyone focused and motivated.
Ultimately, leadership means bringing people together with purpose, clarity, and empathy—especially when the pressure is on.
What advice would you offer to other developers working on large-scale, licensed IP projects based on your own experience?
Working on a large-scale, licensed IP is incredibly exciting—but it also comes with unique responsibilities. Based on my experience, here’s the advice I’d offer to other developers:
- Passion for the IP. Only when we are really the biggest fans of the IP, can we understand and sync with the fan community and meet their expectations.
- Respect the source material—but don’t be afraid to innovate: IP holders want you to stay true to the world they’ve built, but they’re also looking for fresh ways to engage fans. Find that balance between authenticity and creative expression. Bring something new to the table that still feels true to the IP.
- Build strong, proactive relationships with the licensor: Treat them like partners, not gatekeepers. Keep communication open and transparent, and involve them early in the creative process to avoid major rework later. When you earn their trust, approvals go smoother and collaboration gets easier.
- Align your team around both the brand and the audience: Make sure everyone—across design, art, narrative, and marketing—understands the tone, lore, and fan expectations. It’s not just about using the IP; it’s about delivering an experience that fans will feel is worthy of it.
- Plan for iterations and approvals: Licensed IP games tend to have more checkpoints and review cycles. Build extra time into your production plan and remain flexible. The earlier you flag potential bottlenecks, the more time you’ll have to course-correct.
- Celebrate the opportunity: You’re contributing to a universe that already means a lot to people. That’s a big deal! Empower your team to feel inspired by the world they’re building in—it can be a huge creative motivator.
In short, let the passion guide you! Imagine you will show your work to your real life friends, so bring on something that you feel proud of to show them, no compromise.
