In the wake of the massive failure of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment finds itself in a storm of criticism and scrutiny.
It seemed that the management at Rocksteady Studios took a rather peculiar attitude towards their recent misstep. Instead of learning from the failures of other live-service games, the studio chose to ignore them completely.
Toxic Positivity and a Culture of Denial Was Another Reason Behind the Failure of Suicide Squad
According to a Bloomberg report, concerns about the troubled development of the game were repeatedly dismissed by management with assurances that everything would come together in the end, similar to the successful Arkham series. This blind optimism led to what some employees describe as a culture of toxic positivity, where criticism was discouraged, and any concerns were brushed aside.
This attitude of denial seems to have come from the upper management of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, despite glaring warning signs from other live-service industry failures of recent years. Games like Anthem, Marvel’s Avengers, and Redfall have all stumbled in their attempts to deliver engaging live service experiences.
These titles, produced by studios known for their amazing single-player experiences, ventured into the live-service realm only to face disappointment and backlash from players and critics alike. The games were shut down soon and all development was stopped, resulting in several years worth of wasted resources and development time.
Rather than taking these cautionary tales to heart and learning from them, it appears that the studio saw them as proof that they needn’t worry about the trajectory of the game. This attitude of complacency in the face of industry-wide failures raises concerns about the company’s ability to learn from past mistakes and adapt to the evolving landscape of the gaming industry. Maybe they thought Task Force X and Justice League were way too big names for the game to fail.
The Future of Suicide Squad and Rocksteady Studios
The fallout from the game is likely to have far-reaching consequences for both the publisher and the studio. Not only does the failure of such a high-profile title tarnish the studio’s reputation, but it also raises questions about its future direction and leadership.
Players and industry observers are left wondering whether they will take this opportunity to reevaluate their approach to game development and management. When the game was released earlier this year, it received a very low player count and mixed reviews.
WB declared that the game had lost about $200 million since it had fallen far short of their expectations. Meanwhile, the future of the game remains uncertain at this time. There is a skeleton crew working on the next few seasons, but there’s no guarantee that it will ever come to fruition.
The same report claims that the studio is helping with a director’s cut of the popular Harry Potter game from last year, Hogwarts Legacy. Do you think Rocksteady will be able to go back to its roots and create another fantastic single-player game? Let us know in the comments below.
