Warner Bros. Layoffs Hit Rocksteady's Suicide Squad Game

Rocksteady Faces Further Layoffs Following Suicide Squad's Underwhelming Performance

Rocksteady Studios, renowned for the acclaimed Batman: Arkham series, has experienced another wave of layoffs, following the disappointing performance of their latest title, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The game's mixed reception and subsequent divisive post-launch content led to this latest round of job cuts, impacting programming, art, and QA teams.

The financial repercussions of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's underperformance were reported by Warner Bros. in February, indicating the game fell short of sales expectations. This initially resulted in significant layoffs within Rocksteady's QA department in September, reducing its staff by approximately half.

Eurogamer recently revealed further job losses at the end of 2024, affecting remaining QA staff, programmers, and artists. Several anonymous employees confirmed their termination, highlighting the ongoing impact of the game's commercial failure. Warner Bros. has yet to publicly address these recent layoffs, mirroring their silence following the September cuts.

Ripple Effect Across WB Games

The fallout from Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's underperformance extends beyond Rocksteady. WB Games Montreal, the studio behind Batman: Arkham Origins and Gotham Knights, also experienced layoffs in December, primarily affecting QA staff who contributed to Suicide Squad's post-launch DLC.

The final DLC, released December 10th, introduced Deathstroke as a playable character. While Rocksteady plans one last update for Suicide Squad later this month, the studio's future remains uncertain following this project's setbacks. The game's underwhelming reception stands in stark contrast to Rocksteady's previous successes, casting a shadow over their otherwise impressive track record of critically acclaimed DC video games.