Suicide Squad: Studio Trims Staff as Game Nears Release

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 extended to Rocksteady's programming and art departments, occurring shortly before 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 critical reception, and its post-launch DLC further fueled controversy. Consequently, Rocksteady announced the cessation of new content after a final January update.

The game proved financially challenging for both Rocksteady and its parent company, WB Games. Warner Bros. reported in February that the game fell short of sales projections. The subsequent layoffs in the QA department, impacting approximately half of its 33 employees, were partly attributed to this underperformance.

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 to Eurogamer, citing concerns about their future prospects. Warner Bros. has yet to publicly address these recent layoffs, mirroring their silence following the September reductions.

More Layoffs Linked to Suicide Squad's Performance

Rocksteady isn't alone in experiencing the fallout from Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's poor performance. 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 a final update is expected later this month from Rocksteady, 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.