At the end of 2024, Rocksteady Studios, the renowned developer behind *Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League*, announced another disheartening round of layoffs. Six workers, who preferred to remain anonymous, confirmed these layoffs. The affected employees included developers from the programming team, artists, and testers. This move continues the trend of layoffs that started in September, when the testing team was drastically reduced from 33 to just 15 members.
Throughout 2024, Rocksteady faced significant challenges in sustaining *Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League* amid its low popularity. According to Warner Bros., the financial losses from this project reached approximately $200 million. In a disheartening update in December, the developers announced that no new updates would be released for the game in 2025, although the servers would continue to operate.
The layoffs extended beyond Rocksteady, impacting another Warner Bros. studio, Games Montreal, known for *Batman: Arkham Origins* and *Gotham Knights*. In December, 99 employees from Games Montreal were let go, adding to the industry's woes.
The situation took a turn for the worse when *Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League* was made available to early access users. Players encountered severe bugs, including multiple server crashes that prevented access to the game. A major storyline spoiler was inadvertently revealed due to one of these bugs, and the gameplay itself drew numerous complaints.
Well-known gaming magazines were vocal about their dissatisfaction with the game, leading to a significant number of early access refunds. According to analytics company McLuck, the failed launch of *Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League* resulted in a staggering 791% increase in refund requests.
As of now, it remains unclear what Rocksteady Studios will focus on next.
