Rocksteady has been put in a very bad position this year, after its massive live-service game, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, flopped across all platforms. Given the game’s sales performance, lay-offs were almost guaranteed before the end of the year, and now, that process has begun.
Multiple Rocksteady staff members have confirmed the layoffs to Eurogamer today. The QA department has received the biggest cut in terms of percentage, with over 50 percent of QA testers being let go, leaving just 15 members of the team unscathed. Additionally, there have been an unspecified number of layoffs in other Rocksteady departments.
The sources stated that the restructuring is a direct result of Suicide Squad underperforming so drastically. This year, WB has mentioned the game’s low sales multiple times during earnings calls, and even stated that the game caused a $200 million loss on the balance sheet.
It is unclear how this will impact plans for future content for Suicide Squad, but in all likelihood, if Rocksteady does survive this, it will have to move on from Suicide Squad to a more promising project.
KitGuru Says: Visually, there is a lot to like about Suicide Squad, including some of Rocksteady’s best-ever cinematics. Unfortunately, the entire concept behind the game was flawed from the start and as a result, we may lose one of the industry’s most promising studios.