Put another bummer on the board for 2020. Following an epic, 22-year run filled with awesome action figures and collectibles, DC Direct is done.
The in-house toy and collectibles arm of DC Comics was shuttered amid sweeping restructuring at parent company WarnerMedia (under new owner, AT&T), as first reported by The Hollywood Reporter and since confirmed by the Pop Insider.
Launched in 1998, DC Direct marketed a collector-focused range of action figures, statues, prop replicas, and other items. For eight years, the division rebranded as DC Collectibles prior to returning to its DC Direct name during Toy Fair New York last February.
The shuttering of DC Direct comes alongside executive moves, mergers, and cuts across all of WarnerMedia, including layoffs in the entertainment divisions, the likely end of the DC Universe streaming platform (content has already moved to HBO Max), and the downsizing of DC Comics itself as more publishing moves from print to digital.
Moving forward, DC Comics characters and intellectual property (IP) will be licensed by Warner Bros. Consumer Products. Earlier this year, both Spin Master and McFarlane Toys began producing action figures, vehicles, and playsets under the DC Comics license.
A new line of DC Direct action figures based on DC Comics’ Batman: The Adventures Continue (pictured top) are still slated to arrive at retail this month.
