Layoffs Hit Rocksteady Amidst Suicide Squad Game Development

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 unfortunately extended to Rocksteady's programming and art departments, occurring just 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 mixed reviews, and post-launch DLC further fueled criticism. 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. 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 reported additional layoffs at the end of 2024, impacting remaining QA staff, programmers, and artists. Several affected employees, speaking anonymously to protect their job prospects, confirmed these recent reductions. Warner Bros. remains silent on these and the previous September layoffs.

Further Layoffs Linked to Suicide Squad's Performance

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

The final DLC, released December 10th, introduced Deathstroke as the fourth 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 Rocksteady's otherwise impressive track record of acclaimed DC video games, highlighting the significant impact of the title's struggles.