Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, the highly anticipated game from Rocksteady Studios, has reportedly fallen short of Warner Bros. Discovery’s expectations. Despite its release on February 2 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam, with a delayed Epic Games Store release planned for March 5, the game has not met the company’s financial goals.
During Warner Bros. Discovery’s fourth-quarter earnings call, Chief Financial Officer Gunnar Wiedenfels provided an update on the game’s early performance. He acknowledged that the release of Hogwarts Legacy in February last year had a significant positive financial impact in the first quarter. However, Suicide Squad has not achieved similar success, setting the games business up for a challenging year-over-year comparison in Q1.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was initially one of the most highly anticipated games in the industry. Developed by Rocksteady Studios, known for their acclaimed Batman Arkham franchise, the game generated immense enthusiasm. However, as its development cycle dragged on, excitement for the game seemed to wane. Underwhelming pre-release showings and criticism of its live service elements contributed to the decline in anticipation.
The game received mixed reviews from critics upon its release, with scores of 60 (consoles) and 63 (PC) on Metacritic, a popular review aggregation site. Additionally, the launch was marred by server issues and an auto-completion bug, further impacting its reception.
Despite these setbacks, Rocksteady Studios remains committed to providing additional content for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. They recently confirmed that the game’s free seasonal content will be centered around different DC characters. The first themed content, featuring The Joker, is set to be released in March.
In November, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav expressed the company’s focus on transforming their biggest franchises into live service games. While Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League may not have met expectations, it is clear that Warner Bros. Discovery is determined to leverage their popular franchises in the gaming industry.
As fans eagerly await the release of the game on the Epic Games Store and the subsequent themed content updates, it remains to be seen if Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League can overcome its initial challenges and find success in the highly competitive gaming market.