Rocksteady Studios has become the latest AAA developer to be hit with layoffs. Over the course of the past two years, numerous companies that include Bungie, Electronic Arts, Activision, Riot Games, and Epic Games have made layoffs of their own. Meanwhile, other studios like Arkane Austin, Ready at Dawn, and Volition have shut down entirely. Now, Rocksteady is the latest studio to join this growing slate after it failed to meet expectations with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
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As reported by Eurogamer, various members of Rocksteady relayed to the publication this morning that layoffs were beginning to hit the studio. Rocksteady’s QA team, in particular, seems to have been hit hardest lately as it has gone from roughly 33 members in total to now 15. While this might not seem like a large amount, the jobs that have been made redundant are said to be so specialized that other members of the company will now be placed under much more stress to fill the gaps that have been left. Outside of QA, it’s known that other layoffs are happening across Rocksteady, but the extent to which is still unclear.
The reason behind these layoffs, perhaps unexpectedly, is due to the underperformance of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. As Rocksteady’s first major title since 2015’s Batman: Arkham Knight, Suicide Squad failed to meet the expectations of both critics and fans and is currently one of the worst-reviewed games of 2024. Outside of its poor critical reception, Suicide Squad was also deemed a commercial failure by those in charge at WB Games. Despite releasing at a $70 value, the game has since seen its price slashed drastically and was even given away for free earlier this summer in an attempt to garner a larger audience.
Moving forward, it’s still unclear what Rocksteady will end up doing next. Support for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is currently continuing and is expected to last at least through 2024. Many fans have wanted to see the studio return to its work on the Batman: Arkham series, which is what made the studio a household name in the first place. In the near term, the Arkham franchise will be continuing with Batman: Arkham Shadow, which is set to launch for Meta Quest 3 in October.
