Highlights
- Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was a major financial flop for Warner Bros. Discovery.
- Multiple controversies plagued the game’s development, leading to delays and negative reactions from fans.
- Despite a rough launch, Rocksteady continues to release DLC for the game, with plans for more characters and missions.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was a major financial flop for Warner Bros. Discovery, as revealed in a new report. Suicide Squad seemed very promising when it was first announced at the inaugural DC FanDome event back in 2020, with Batman: Arkham series developer Rocksteady returning to its acclaimed DC gaming universe for a new title centered around the rogue’s gallery of Task Force X. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League would take the team of Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, and King Shark to Metropolis to battle the corrupted heroes of Earth.
However, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League would face multiple controversies during its long and troubled development cycle, with the game being delayed several times. When a gameplay trailer was shown at a PlayStation State of Play livestream in March 2023, fans quickly took note of Suicide Squad‘s live-service elements and gear system, which drew unfavorable comparisons to titles like Marvel’s Avengers. Plot details were leaked later that year, drawing further backlash regarding how Suicide Squad would handle beloved characters like Batman.
Ironically, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League isn’t the Tone DC Games Need Right Now
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League attempted to ride the success of the James Gunn movie, but DC games need a different approach.
All of this culminated in a rough launch for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League in January, and now it’s been confirmed that the troubled superhero title has fallen way short of parent company Warner Bros. Discovery’s expectations. According to the conglomerate’s Q1 financial results (via IGN), Warner Bros. Games’ revenue took a significant drop since last year, with Suicide Squad contributing to a nearly $200 million impact to EBITDA (which stands for “earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization). Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav would call Suicide Squad’s release “disappointing” in a follow-up investor call.
Suicide Squad Cost Warner Bros Nearly $200 Million in Revenue
Despite the icy reception Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League received at launch, Rocksteady is continuing to support the game through DLC, adding new playable characters and missions centered around DC’s multiverse. The first wave of new content added an alternate version of the Joker, who has divided fans in comparison to Mark Hamill’s more popular take on the Clown Prince of Crime from the original Batman: Arkham games.
Suicide Squad’s DLC will reportedly continue throughout the year, with rumored characters including past Batman: Arkham enemies like Deathstroke and Killer Croc. The future of the game after that is a bit more nebulous, especially in light of the recent reports that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was a serious financial disappointment for Warner Bros. Discovery, serving as yet another strike against a game that has been met with countless setbacks and controversies less than a year after launch.
Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League
$48 $70 Save $22
- Released
- February 2, 2024
- ESRB
- M17+ For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Violence
