With the release of Injustice 2 last week, the fictional superhero Superman has officially become the longest-running video game character says Guinness World Records, beating out such well-known gaming stalwarts as Pac-Man, Mario, and Frogger. The comic book Kryptonian has been punching his way through virtual environments for 38 years and 62 days.
The honor was bestowed by Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition editor Stephen Daultrey to Ed Boon, Creative Director of NetherRealm Studios (developer of Injustice 2) and co-creator of the Mortal Kombat series. Oddly enough, Superman couldn’t be bothered to show up for the ceremony, though actors dressed as Green Arrow, The Flash, and Wonder Woman were on hand to offer their congratulations on the achievement.
Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition editor Stephen Daultrey and NetherRealm’s Ed Boon flanked by super heroes who aren’t Superman.
Superman made his video game debut in December 1978 in Superman for the Atari 2600 – or as it was known then, the Atari Video Computer System (VCS). Released to coincide with the Christopher Reeve movie of the same name, the game also holds the distinction of being the very first official superhero video game.
Over the intervening years, Superman’s appearances in the video game world have varied wildly in terms of quality. In fact, the 1999 Nintendo 64 game Superman is considered by many to be one of the worst video games of all time and the lowest-rated super hero game on GameRankings.com with a score of 22.9%.
The comic book character of Superman first appeared in May 1938 in the pages of Action Comics #1, meaning that he was kicking around for over 40 years before going digital. With rumors circulating that there MAY be a Superman game in development at WB Games Montreal and more appearances in future editions of DC LEGO games and the Injustice series virtually guaranteed, it’s likely that the Man of Steel will hold on to this record for the foreseeable future.
Hey, would you like to win a copy of Injustice 2 for PS4 or Xbox One? Go here to enter!
