Genre Pivot, 'Toxic Positivity' Blamed for Suicide Squad's $200 Million Flop
What was the reaction of Rocksteady's management to the failures of similar high-profile games, and how did it compare to their expectations for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League?
Rocksteady's management maintained a positive outlook and believed that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League would be a success, despite the high-profile failures of similar games such as Anthem and Redfall. They seemed to ignore the concerns raised by staff and insisted that things would eventually come together. This culture of "toxic positivity" persisted throughout the game's development, with leadership remaining optimistic about the game's potential, even in the face of setbacks and shifting visions.
How much financial loss did Warner Bros incur from the Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League project?
Warner Bros incurred a financial loss of $200 million from the Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League project. The loss was attributed to the game's underwhelming performance and lower-than-projected sales figures.
Can you describe the "toxic positivity" culture reported within the development team of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League?
The "toxic positivity" culture reported within the development team of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League refers to an environment where leadership insisted that things would eventually come together and ignored concerns raised by staff. This culture involved studio co-founder and director Sefton Hill being a "perfectionist" and creating a bottleneck that resulted in developers waiting weeks or months for their work to be reviewed, scrapping ideas, struggling to explain ideas clearly, and confessing to not playing competing products like Destiny 2. The report suggests that this culture led to many staff departures over the game's seven-year-long development and contributed to the game's disappointing reception and financial loss for Warner Bros.