Rocksteady Studios, renowned for the Batman: Arkham series, has experienced further layoffs following the disappointing performance of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The game's underperformance, reported in February, initially resulted in a 50% reduction of the QA team in September. This latest round of job cuts, reported by Eurogamer, extends to programming and art departments, occurring shortly before the game's final content update. Affected employees, speaking anonymously, confirmed the recent dismissals. Warner Bros. remains silent on the matter, mirroring their response to the September layoffs.
The financial impact of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's underperformance is significant for both Rocksteady and its parent company, WB Games. The game's mixed reception and divisive post-launch DLC ultimately led to the cessation of new content after a final January update.
This isn't isolated to Rocksteady. WB Games Montreal, responsible for Batman: Arkham Origins and Gotham Knights, also reported layoffs in December, largely affecting QA staff who supported Suicide Squad's DLC development. The final DLC, released December 10th, introduced Deathstroke as a playable character. Rocksteady's future plans remain unclear following the release of the final update for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, a project that has cast a shadow on the studio's otherwise impressive track record.
