Rocksteady’s new Suicide Squad game seemed destined for critical and financial disappointment even before it saw the light of day earlier this month. The months leading up to its release were plagued with negative publicity, especially due to its live-service nature, which not many players are too fond of.
Kill the Justice League initially felt like quite a promising concept, but a horrible early access launch, its disrespectful approach towards beloved DC characters, and many other aspects didn’t sit right with the majority of the fanbase.
Not even a month after its launch, Warner Bros. has admitted that Suicide Squad failed to meet the company’s expectations, like it did for fans.
Warner Bros. Admits That Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Was a Disappointment
Warner Bros. Discovery held its Fourth Quarter 2023 Earnings Call for shareholders two days ago, on February 23, during which key figures from the company extensively discussed different aspects of its various businesses. Not many players would have expected the studio to openly admit the unfortunate truth about Rocksteady’s latest Suicide Squad game, but it definitely stood out as a major moment from the hour-long webcast.
CEO David Zaslav kicked things off by giving a brief overview of WB’s current position in the market, and as he gave the floor to Chief Financial Officer Gunnar Wiedenfels, what fans already knew got officially confirmed.
Where Hogwarts Legacy proved to be a massive financial success for Warner Bros. Games last year, Wiedenfels admitted that Kill the Justice League was a disappointment for the company as well since it was hoping for much higher sales. It is still unclear exactly how much money Rocksteady’s video game actually made since the CFO did not reveal any information about that, but his statement was more than enough proof of Task Force X failing to become a commercial hit.
Wiedenfels stated that Suicide Squad “has fallen short of our expectations,” something that its player base will probably wholeheartedly agree with.
Rocksteady’s Title Is Going to Make It “Tough” for WB Games, According to Wiedenfels
According to Warner Bros. Discovery’s Chief Financial Officer, Suicide Squad was one of the company’s “key video game releases in 2024,” but due to its underperformance financially, it could make things quite difficult for WB Games. Wiedenfels continued by saying that Kill the Justice League has set WB’s “games business up for a tough year-over-year comp in Q1,” which is a problem that Hogwarts Legacy never faced.
With a detailed roadmap for the upcoming DLC planned, it could maybe serve as a saving grace for Rocksteady’s title, but until then, the game keeps losing players on Steam with very little hope of getting them back.
Why do you think the game failed to meet expectations? Let us know in the comments!
