Rocksteady Reportedly Planning New Single-Player Game Following Suicide Squad Disaster

The Batman: Arkham developer wants to get back to what it does best.

By Marc Deschamps

It's safe to say that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League wasn't what anyone was hoping for from Rocksteady Studios. After delivering three beloved entries in the Batman: Arkham series, Rocksteady's Suicide Squad game proved to be a critical and commercial disappointment. Reviews for the game were significantly worse than the studio's past work, and Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav referred to it as a "disappointing release." According to a new report from Bloomberg, the studio heads at Rocksteady want to pitch a new single-player game, as opposed to the team-based multiplayer that was featured in Suicide Squad. 

What Went Wrong With Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

According to the report, Rocksteady was originally working on a new IP called Stones following the release of Batman: Arkham Knight, while WB Games Montreal (the studio behind Batman: Arkham Origins and Gotham Knights) was working on its own Suicide Squad game. Warner Bros., apparently eager to cash-in on the theatrical success of the 2016 Suicide Squad movie, cancelled those projects and began discussing a new Suicide Squad game with then-Rocksteady studio heads Jamie Walker and Sefton Hill. Walker and Hill apparently "saw it as a better opportunity than making something new from scratch" and were hopeful development would wrap in 2019 or 2020. 

The rest of the report discusses why Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League fell apart. While there are a number of reasons that the game failed to live up to the Arkham trilogy, it seems that Rocksteady simply didn't have the background or knowledge to create a compelling multiplayer experience that would keep players invested. Constantly shifting guidelines and multiple delays didn't help the game's case. 

The Future of Rocksteady Studios

It remains to be seen what Rocksteady will do next following Suicide Squad's dismal performance, but it seems highly unlikely the game will get further support following the release of the game's planned DLC. An alternate universe version of the Joker was added as a playable character, and three more are planned. 

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It bodes well that the studio is apparently planning to focus on a new single-player experience. The report does not make it clear whether the game Rocksteady is planning to pitch would be a new IP, or something based on another DC property. Whatever the game ends up being, hopefully it will help restore faith in Rocksteady among players and with Warner Bros. as a whole.

Are you excited to see what Rocksteady does next? Is there a DC property you'd like to see them tackle? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

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