Warner Bros. has officially announced MultiVersus, which is an upcoming crossover fighting game, featuring characters like Batman, Shaggy from Scooby-Doo, and Bugs Bunny, but one face sticks out from the crowd, as Arya Stark from Game of Thrones is in the game. Arya comes from a far more adult franchise than the other characters on the roster, and some might wonder what she's doing there.
Arya Stark is one of the point-of-view characters in the A Song of Ice & Fire series and was a main character throughout the run of Game of Thrones on HBO. Arya's journey from rebellious noblewoman, to going on the run and taking a new identity, to becoming a faceless assassin, was one of the most popular storylines in the show. The popularity of the character was such that the name Arya rose in popularity in real-life, all due to the massive cultural presence of Game of Thrones.
MultiVersus has many recognizable characters on its roster, ranging from iconic animated characters to some of the most famous superheroes in the history of the fiction. The game also features Arya Stark, with Maisie Williams reprising her role and voicing the character in the game. A Game of Thrones representative in MultiVersus might seem out of place, especially considering how incredibly adult the show was, but Warner Bros. is aware of how popular the show is (or at least was before its final season), and it's not the first time that the franchise has been part of an unexpected crossover.
Watch The MultiVersus Trailer With Arya Stark
Game Of Thrones Is Licensed By HBO/WarnerMedia
Game of Thrones and the upcoming House of the Dragon prequel series are licensed by HBO. It's HBO that was responsible for licensing all of the Game of Thrones merchandise that was produced during the show's heyday. HBO is owned by WarnerMedia, which means Game of Thrones also falls under the same umbrella as DC Comics and Cartoon Network Studios. This can be clearly seen in the movie Space Jam: A New Legacy, as LeBron James passes the planet from Game of Thrones during the story. Drogon and the Night King also have cameos during the final basketball game.
WarnerMedia's licensing agreement regarding A Song of Ice & Fire and Game of Thrones is clearly strong enough to accommodate crossovers of this nature. Author George R.R. Martin is also no stranger to video games, as he collaborated on the upcoming Elden Ring, so it's unlikely he would have any issues or objections to Arya Stark appearing in this game, especially when she is portrayed as being on the same level as cultural icons like Batman and Wonder Woman. George R.R. Martin also signed a five-year deal with HBO earlier this year, which means that even more Game of Thrones content will be coming to the network in the future, so the relationship between both parties is clearly still good. MultiVersus is a live service title, so there's a good chance that Arya Stark won't be the only Game of Thrones character to appear in the game in the future.
Source: Warner Bros. UK/YouTube