At the end of 2024, Rocksteady Studios, the developer behind Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, announced yet another wave of layoffs. Six employees, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed the news. The layoffs impacted developers from the programming team, artists, and testers. This round of cuts is a continuation of the layoffs that started in September, which saw the number of testers reduced from 33 to 15.
Throughout 2024, Rocksteady faced significant challenges in maintaining Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League amidst its low popularity. Warner Bros. reported that the project incurred losses of approximately $200 million. In December, the developers announced that no new updates would be released for the game in 2025, although the servers would remain operational.
The layoffs were not confined to Rocksteady alone. In December, Warner Bros. Games Montreal, known for titles like Batman: Arkham Origins and Gotham Knights, also saw significant cuts, with 99 employees being let go.
The situation took a darker turn when the game was released to early access users. Players encountered numerous severe bugs, and the Suicide Squad servers crashed multiple times, preventing players from accessing the game. Additionally, a storyline spoiler was inadvertently revealed due to a bug, and the gameplay received widespread criticism.
Prominent gaming magazines expressed their dissatisfaction with the game, leading to a significant number of refund requests from early access buyers. According to McLuck, an analytics company, the failed launch of Suicide Squad resulted in a 791% surge in refund requests.
It remains uncertain what Rocksteady Studios will focus on next following these developments.
