Eurogamer Reports That Rocksteady Has Been Hit by Layoffs After Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Fails to Meet Any Expectations
The fallout from the underperformance of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has struck Rocksteady Studios hard, leading to significant layoffs within the company. According to information obtained by Eurogamer, the studio's QA department has been particularly affected, with its team size being about halved over the past month.
Originally consisting of 33 members, the department now has just 15 remaining. The disappointing sales figures for Suicide Squad have been directly linked to this “restructuring” move. Looking at these DLC outfits, one can't help but wonder why... The modern audience continues to impress us with their consistency of... not showing up to support the games that are clearly being made for them.
The layoffs haven't been limited to the QA team. Employees across various departments have been impacted, including at least one staff member who was informed of their redundancy while on paternity leave (yikes), making the situation even more sad.
The Impact on Rocksteady's Team
Multiple staff members, who reportedly spoke with Eurogamer under the condition of anonymity, expressed concerns about the aftermath of these job cuts. With many roles lost, including several team members with specialized knowledge, the remaining employees are expected to shoulder significantly more work. There's also an acknowledgment from senior management that product quality will most likely suffer as a result.
Among those affected by the layoffs are not just junior staff but also experienced team members who have been with Rocksteady for over five years. The cuts have left a palpable sense of uncertainty and concern among the remaining staff about the studio's future and its ability to maintain the quality of its work.
Financial Fallout and Future Uncertainty
This news comes on the heels of a difficult time for Warner Bros., who reported a 41% decline in gaming revenue year-on-year, attributing much of this drop to the "weak performance" of Suicide Squad...
The company previously disclosed losses of $200 million (YIKES) on the game. Despite these setbacks, work on the game's post-launch content has continued, but there's been no word on what, if anything, comes next from the studio.
Many reviews of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League noted that Rocksteady has a tremendous amount of talent and it's evident in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Unfortunately it can't overcome the terrible decisions throughout. They highlight the mismatch between the game's development team's skill and... the poor reception the final product received.
Sour Baby Incorporated
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was yet another project touched by Sweet Baby Inc. through one of their infamous "consultation partnerships," and, like everything they get their hands on, it turned to absolute shit.
While admittedly, Sweet Baby Inc. wasn't solely responsible for the catastrophic failure of this game, their involvement certainly didn’t help Rocksteady here, especially with all that unnecessary DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) injection that continues to alienate real gamers who simply just want a good game, not a lecture on humanity and cultural diversity.
Bebopped the Rocksteady
The layoffs at Rocksteady reflect a much deeper issue that has plagued the studio following the underwhelming launch of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The ripple effects of the game's poor performance have reached far beyond just the sales figures, impacting the livelihoods of many talented developers ...and raising questions about the studio's future direction. As the dust settles, the we're left wondering what the next move will be for Rocksteady, a studio that has struggled to regain its footing after this major misstep.
~ Smash