Developers Reflect on Their Experience with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

Two former developers from Rocksteady Studios have shared their candid insights regarding their time working on the troubled title, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, in a recent interview with Bloomberg. Designer Johnny Armstrong expressed the team's initial enthusiasm about stepping away from the Batman franchise after completing three consecutive Arkham games. However, as development on Suicide Squad progressed, that excitement began to wane.

The shift in creative direction was largely driven by Warner Bros., which aimed to create a live-service game, a concept unfamiliar to the Rocksteady team. Axel Rydby, who assumed the role of game director in 2022, highlighted the mounting pressure associated with the prolonged development period. With seven years invested in the project, Warner Bros. intensified its efforts to ensure the game maximized replayability and player engagement in order to recover its financial investment.

Rydby conveyed his growing dissatisfaction with the creative process, stating, "That’s when I started feeling like I wasn’t making games anymore. I was following a spreadsheet, some elusive marketing-analysis spreadsheet that no one could present clearly. I kind of felt like this isn’t the gaming industry I wanted to work in." Armstrong echoed these sentiments, revealing his own disillusionment with the industry stemming from his experiences on Suicide Squad. He reflected, "I felt everything drained from me. I said, ‘I can’t do this again. I don’t know if I’m done with the industry, but I’m done.’ I could feel myself coming apart at the seams."

Both developers eventually departed from Rocksteady, seeking new opportunities that would reignite their creative passion. They have recently launched a Kickstarter campaign for their new RPG deckbuilder titled Secret of Circadia, aiming to raise $11,000 from backers to bring their project to fruition.

The fallout from Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has been significant for Rocksteady, marking a stark contrast to the success of the Arkham series. It is hoped that this experience has conveyed a crucial message to Warner Bros. regarding the types of games the studio should pursue in the future. While the current status of Rocksteady's next project remains unclear, there are rumors suggesting a potential return to the Batman universe. However, many of the key creative talents responsible for the Arkham series have since left the studio. Despite this, Rocksteady still has a talented roster of developers, indicating that any upcoming project will likely differ from titles like Arkham Knight.