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 job cuts have now impacted Rocksteady's programming and art departments, preceding 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's mixed reception and subsequent divisive post-launch DLC led to the announcement that no further content would be added after a final January update.
The game proved financially costly for both Rocksteady and its parent company, WB Games. Warner Bros. acknowledged in February that sales fell short of expectations. This was followed by the significant QA department layoffs, reducing staff from 33 to 15.
However, this was not the end of the job losses. Eurogamer recently reported additional layoffs at the close of 2024, affecting more QA personnel, as well as programmers and artists. Several anonymous employees confirmed their dismissals, citing concerns about future job prospects. Warner Bros. remains silent on these and the previous September layoffs.
Further Layoffs Ripple Across WB Games
Rocksteady isn't alone in feeling the impact of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's poor performance. WB Games Montreal, the studio behind Batman: Arkham Origins and Gotham Knights, also reported layoffs in December, primarily affecting quality assurance 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 scheduled 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 critically acclaimed DC video games.
