Rocksteady has reportedly resorted to layoffs again, although it’s possible that this is more the result of owner Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD)…

One of 2024’s biggest disappointments was Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League (which, funnily enough, is available on PlayStation Plus Essential in January, so anyone who subscribes to PS Plus can get their hands on it). Again, WBD may have pushed the live service model too hard, and Rocksteady just wasn’t ready for it. Remember, this is the same studio that proved it could make strong, meaningful single-player titles in the DC Comics universe with Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City, and Batman: Arkham Knight!

Eurogamer has reported that six developers have confirmed that they have been laid off from Rocksteady Studios. The affected people worked in the programming, art and quality control teams. This is sad because there were layoffs back in September, and then they were apparently forced to cut staff due to the poor performance of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. In the case of the current layoffs, we don’t know how many are affected, and unsurprisingly, WBD is simply refusing to respond to inquiries…

Essentially, WBD was expecting Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League to have the same results as Hogwarts Legacy, which was released in 2023. That didn’t happen, and the publisher complained that Rocksteady’s game didn’t live up to expectations. The concept of the game changed several times (bad enough), the management strived for perfection (and you should understand that micromanagement is just annoying), and… well, who would have thought that Rocksteady’s lack of experience in multiplayer and live service titles would rear its head? Because it did.

Seeing this makes us wonder when they’re going to put a padlock on Rocksteady’s door, because it’s coming. In fact, two waves of layoffs in three months point in that direction.

Source: Gamesindustry