Rocksteady Faces Further Layoffs Following Suicide Squad's Underperformance
Rocksteady Studios, renowned for the 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 divisive post-launch content led to this latest wave of job cuts, impacting programming, art, and QA teams.
The financial repercussions of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's underperformance were significant for both Rocksteady and its parent company, WB Games. Warner Bros. previously reported the game fell short of sales expectations. This resulted in an initial layoff of approximately half of Rocksteady's QA staff in September, reducing the team from 33 to 15 employees.
Eurogamer recently revealed that further job losses occurred at the end of 2024, affecting additional QA personnel, programmers, and artists. Several anonymous employees confirmed their dismissals, highlighting the ongoing impact of the game's commercial failure. Warner Bros. remains silent on these recent layoffs, mirroring their response to the September cuts.
Ripple Effect Across WB Games
The consequences of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's poor performance extend beyond Rocksteady. WB Games Montreal, the studio behind Batman: Arkham Origins and Gotham Knights, also experienced layoffs in December, primarily affecting QA staff who supported Rocksteady's post-launch DLC development.
The final DLC, released December 10th, introduced Deathstroke as a playable character. While Rocksteady plans one last update for the game later this month, the studio's future remains uncertain. The game's underperformance casts a shadow over Rocksteady's otherwise impressive track record of critically acclaimed DC games. The significant layoffs serve as a stark reminder of the risks inherent in live-service game development.
