Warners Announce More Layoffs at Rocksteady

Rocksteady Faces Further Layoffs Following Suicide Squad's Underperformance

Rocksteady Studios, renowned for the acclaimed Batman: Arkham series, has experienced a second wave of layoffs following the disappointing performance of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The game's mixed reception and underperforming sales, reported by Warner Bros. in February, initially led to significant cuts within the QA department in September – approximately half of the team.

This latest round of job losses, reported by Eurogamer, extends beyond QA, impacting Rocksteady's programming and art teams. Several anonymous employees confirmed their recent dismissals, highlighting the continuing repercussions of the game's commercial failure. Warner Bros. remains silent on these developments, mirroring their response to the earlier layoffs.

The financial strain of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is not limited to Rocksteady. WB Games Montreal, the studio behind Gotham Knights and Batman: Arkham Origins, also announced layoffs in December, reportedly impacting QA staff who contributed to Suicide Squad's post-launch DLC. The final DLC, featuring Deathstroke, launched on December 10th. With one last update planned for later this month, the future of Rocksteady remains uncertain following the game's conclusion. The project casts a shadow over the studio's otherwise impressive track record of critically acclaimed DC titles.