Suicide Squad: Game Studio Faces Further Staff Cuts

Following the disappointing performance of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Rocksteady Studios has announced further layoffs. This follows earlier cuts to the QA team in September, which reportedly halved its size. The recent round of job losses impacted programming and art staff, occurring shortly before the game's final update.

Rocksteady, renowned for the Batman: Arkham series, faced a challenging year with the release of Suicide Squad. The game's mixed reception and subsequent divisive post-launch DLC ultimately led to the decision to halt further content updates after January.

The financial impact of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's underperformance on both Rocksteady and its parent company, WB Games, was significant. Warner Bros. acknowledged the game's failure to meet sales expectations in February. This news preceded the substantial QA department layoffs, reducing staff from 33 to 15.

Eurogamer recently reported additional layoffs at the end of 2024, affecting remaining QA personnel, as well as programmers and artists. Several affected employees, choosing anonymity to protect their job prospects, confirmed the news. Warner Bros. remains silent on these recent cuts, mirroring their response to the September layoffs.

Further Fallout from Suicide Squad's Underperformance

Rocksteady isn't alone in experiencing the consequences of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's poor reception. WB Games Montreal, the studio behind Batman: Arkham Origins and Gotham Knights, also conducted layoffs in December, primarily affecting the quality assurance team that supported Suicide Squad's post-launch DLC.

The final DLC, released December 10th, introduced Deathstroke as a playable character. While a final update is planned for later this month, Rocksteady's future plans remain unclear. The game's underperformance casts a shadow on the studio's otherwise impressive track record of critically acclaimed DC games. The significant layoffs serve as a stark reminder of the game's financial failure.