Suicide Squad left a $200 million hole in WBD's video game division
What were the main reasons behind the $200 million loss reported by Warner Bros. Discovery following the release of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League?
The main reasons behind the $200 million loss reported by Warner Bros. Discovery following the release of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League include inexperience with the multiplayer genre, a constantly changing vision during development, and struggles with creating varied battles, levels, and bosses. Additionally, the studio reportedly faced challenges in developing a massive map and the four playable characters. These issues led to lower-than-expected sales and revenue for the game.
How did Rocksteady's inexperience with multiplayer games impact the development of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League?
Rocksteady's inexperience with multiplayer games had a significant impact on the development of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The UK-based studio, known for its single-player action-adventure games like Batman: Arkham Knight, was tasked with developing a multiplayer Suicide Squad game in 2016. Many new Rocksteady employees were reportedly unaware that the studio was working on a multiplayer game, which led to confusion and caused many to leave.
The game's development faced several challenges, including constantly changing ideas and shifting focus from melee combat to heavy gunplay. Rocksteady also struggled with making battles, levels, and bosses feel less repetitive, a common issue for live-service titles that require players to revisit large parts of the game. Additionally, the studio was not accustomed to the level of complexity required to develop a massive map and four playable characters.
These difficulties led to continued setbacks, ultimately delaying the game's release and contributing to a $200 million loss for Warner Bros. Discovery. The company's CEO, David Zaslav, called the game's release "disappointing." As a result, Rocksteady has now turned its attention to a director's cut version of Hogwarts Legacy and may start working on another single-player game.
Why did Rocksteady's constant changes in game vision, such as shifting from melee combat to heavy gunplay, contribute to the game's development challenges?
Rocksteady's constant changes in game vision, such as shifting from melee combat to heavy gunplay, contributed to the game's development challenges for several reasons1.
Firstly, frequent changes in the core gameplay mechanics can lead to confusion among the development team. This may cause delays as team members need to adapt to new designs and concepts, ultimately affecting the overall development timeline.
Secondly, these changes can also impact the game's consistency and cohesion. A clear and consistent vision is essential for a successful game, as it ensures that all aspects of the game, from level design to character development, work together harmoniously. Constant shifts in game vision can result in a disjointed final product that lacks a clear sense of direction.
Lastly, such changes can also contribute to employee turnover, as team members may become frustrated with the shifting goals and lack of a stable vision. As mentioned in the Bloomberg report, many employees left Rocksteady due to the constantly changing vision, which further impacted the game's development.
In summary, Rocksteady's constant changes in game vision led to development challenges by causing confusion, inconsistency, and employee turnover.