Rocksteady Faces Further Layoffs Following Suicide Squad's Underperformance
Rocksteady Studios, renowned for the Batman: Arkham series, has announced additional 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 financial difficulties for the studio and its parent company, WB Games.
The studio previously experienced significant job cuts in September, impacting roughly half of its QA team. This latest round of layoffs, reported by Eurogamer, extends to Rocksteady's programming and art departments, occurring just before the release of the game's final update. Several affected employees, speaking anonymously, confirmed their dismissals. Warner Bros. has yet to officially address these recent job losses, mirroring their silence on the earlier QA cuts.
The financial strain stemming from Suicide Squad's underperformance is not limited to Rocksteady. WB Games Montreal, developer of Gotham Knights and Batman: Arkham Origins, also conducted layoffs in December, primarily affecting QA staff who supported 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 the game's commercial failure. The project casts a shadow on Rocksteady's otherwise impressive track record of critically acclaimed DC games.
Key Points:
- Further layoffs hit Rocksteady following the underperformance of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
- Previous layoffs in September impacted half of the QA team.
- Recent cuts affect programming and art teams.
- WB Games Montreal also experienced layoffs, impacting QA staff who worked on Suicide Squad's DLC.
- The future of Rocksteady remains unclear after the release of Suicide Squad's final update.
