DC Comics’ Superman has been recognised by Guinness World Records as the Longest-running videogame character, with the Man of Steel now officially enduring longer than gaming megastars such as PAC-Man and Mario.
Yesterday’s release of the fighting game Injustice 2, published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, means that Superman has now starred in videogames for an astonishing 38 years and 62 days.
Superman’s game debut was in the Atari 2600 actioner Superman, released in December 1978 to coincide with the movie of the same name.
That title also holds the distinction of being the First official superhero videogame. The game also featured its own plot, written by programmer John Dunn, which was separate from the Christopher Reeve film.
Since then, the Kryptonian wonder has appeared in games as diverse as LEGO Dimensions (2015), Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (2008) and The Death and Return of Superman (1994).
However, not all of Superman’s gaming appearances have been well-received as the Injustice series – his 1999 N64 game is the Lowest-rated superhero game, with a score of just 22.9% on GameRankings.
Collecting a certificate on behalf of the DC Comics character – created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1933 – was legendary game programmer Ed Boon, whose NetherRealm Studios developed Injustice 2.
Ed received the title from Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition editor Stephen Daultrey, while the duo was surrounded by a host of familiar DC Comics stars including The Flash and Wonder Woman. Sadly, Superman couldn’t make it this time!
Look out for this record – plus many more – in the new Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition annual, releasing in September 2017.