Suicide Squad: Studio Troubled by Restructuring Rumours

Rocksteady Faces Further Layoffs Following Suicide Squad's Underperformance

Rocksteady Studios, renowned for the acclaimed Batman: Arkham series, has announced another round of layoffs, following the disappointing performance of its latest title, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The game's mixed reception and subsequent divisive post-launch content led to this difficult decision. The studio had already experienced significant cuts to its QA team in September, reportedly losing half its staff.

This latest wave of job losses extends beyond QA, impacting Rocksteady's programming and art departments. The timing is particularly notable, occurring just before the release of the game's final update in January. While Warner Bros. remains silent on the matter, Eurogamer reports confirm the layoffs, citing anonymous sources within the affected teams.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's financial underperformance, reported by Warner Bros. in February, is widely believed to be the primary cause of these job cuts. The game's high development costs and failure to meet sales expectations have clearly had a significant impact on Rocksteady and its parent company.

Ripple Effect Across WB Games

The consequences of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's underperformance aren't limited to Rocksteady. WB Games Montreal, the studio behind Batman: Arkham Origins and Gotham Knights, also experienced layoffs in December. Many of these cuts reportedly affected QA staff who supported Rocksteady during the development of Suicide Squad's post-launch DLC.

The final DLC, released on December 10th, introduced Deathstroke as a playable character. With the final update scheduled for later this month, the future of Rocksteady remains uncertain. The game's struggles cast a shadow over the studio's otherwise impressive track record of critically acclaimed DC games. The significant layoffs serve as a stark reminder of the challenges facing even established studios in the current gaming landscape.