Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Studio Reports More 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 challenges in 2024 with the release of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The game received a mixed reception, and its post-launch DLC further fueled criticism. Consequently, Rocksteady announced the cessation of new content after a final January update.

The game proved costly for both Rocksteady and its parent company, WB Games. Warner Bros. reported in February that sales fell short of expectations. This led to the significant QA department layoffs mentioned earlier, reducing staff from 33 to 15.

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

More Layoffs Linked to Suicide Squad's Performance

Rocksteady isn't alone in experiencing setbacks related to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. WB Games Montreal, the studio behind Batman: Arkham Origins and Gotham Knights, also announced layoffs in December, primarily affecting QA staff who supported Rocksteady on the game's post-launch DLC.

The final DLC, released December 10th, introduced Deathstroke as the fourth playable character. While Rocksteady will release one last update later this month, the studio's future plans remain unclear. The game's underperformance casts a shadow on Rocksteady's impressive track record of successful DC-themed games, highlighting the significant impact of the live service title's failure.