Suicide Squad: Studio Undergoes Restructuring Amidst Layoffs

Following the underperformance of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Rocksteady Studios has experienced further layoffs. The game's disappointing sales initially resulted in a 50% reduction of the QA team in September. Recent layoffs have now impacted Rocksteady's programming and art departments, occurring just before the release of the game's final update.

Rocksteady, renowned for the Batman: Arkham series, faced a challenging 2024. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, a Batman: Arkham spin-off, received a mixed reception upon release, with post-launch DLC further fueling controversy. Consequently, Rocksteady ceased adding content after a final January update concluding the game's narrative.

Both Rocksteady and its parent company, WB Games, incurred significant losses with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Warner Bros. reported the game's failure to meet sales projections in February. The subsequent layoffs of approximately half the QA department (reducing it from 33 to 15 employees) were partly attributed to the game's poor performance.

However, this was not the end of the job cuts. Eurogamer recently reported additional layoffs at the close of 2024, affecting more QA staff, as well as programmers and artists. Several anonymous employees confirmed their dismissals, citing concerns about their future prospects. Warner Bros. remains silent on these layoffs, mirroring their response to the September reductions.

Further Fallout from Suicide Squad's Underperformance

Rocksteady isn't alone in experiencing the repercussions of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's underperformance. WB Games Montreal, the studio behind Batman: Arkham Origins and Gotham Knights, also announced layoffs in December, primarily affecting quality assurance personnel who supported Rocksteady's post-launch DLC development for Suicide Squad.

The final DLC, released December 10th, introduced Deathstroke as the fourth playable character. While Rocksteady plans one last update for Suicide Squad later this month, the studio's future plans remain unclear. The game's underperformance casts a shadow on Rocksteady's otherwise impressive track record of critically acclaimed DC video games, highlighting the significant impact of the title's struggles.