Suicide Squad Game Faces Further Job Cuts

Rocksteady Faces Further Layoffs Following Suicide Squad's Underperformance

Rocksteady Studios, renowned for the acclaimed Batman: Arkham series, has experienced a second wave of layoffs following the disappointing performance of its latest title, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The game's mixed reception and underwhelming sales, reported by Warner Bros. in February, have significantly impacted the studio.

Initially, in September, Rocksteady's QA team suffered a 50% reduction, dropping from 33 to 15 employees. This was only a prelude to more extensive cuts at the end of 2024, as reported by Eurogamer. This latest round of layoffs affected programming and art teams, in addition to further impacting QA staff. Several anonymous employees confirmed their dismissals to Eurogamer, highlighting the severity of the situation. Warner Bros. remains silent on these recent developments, mirroring their response to the September layoffs.

The underperformance of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League isn't solely impacting Rocksteady. WB Games Montreal, the studio behind Gotham Knights and Batman: Arkham Origins, also announced layoffs in December, primarily affecting QA personnel who supported Suicide Squad's post-launch content.

The final DLC for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, released on December 10th, introduced Deathstroke as a playable character. While a final update is expected later this month, the future of Rocksteady remains uncertain following these substantial job losses. The game's failure casts a shadow on the studio's otherwise impressive track record of critically acclaimed DC games.