Extensive Bloomberg report pulled back the curtain on the troubled development Suicide Squad: Kill Justice Leaguethe high-profile live-action game from Batman Arkham developer Rocksteady and publisher Warner Bros. Games.
It was already clear that the launch of the project was going to be difficult due to numerous delays and the fact that Warner Bros. revealed that it lost $200 million on the multiplayer shooter.
Now all the chaos was out in the open. Nearly two dozen sources told Bloomberg that the project was held back by a wavering vision, a rigid culture of perfectionism and a switch to the live-service genre, which was at odds with Rocksteady’s sensibility, which had not previously been able to create single-player games.
It details how Rocksteady’s leaders began replicating publisher Warner Bros.’s live-service enthusiasm, expanding the studio to 250 people (from 160) in an attempt to create a massively multiplayer online hit that would prove their faith in a sometimes profitable, sometimes disastrous business model.
Sources say the expansion has made Rocksteady a cumbersome studio, albeit a smaller one than the one making competing titles. Even worse, some recruits quickly left the developer after realizing they would be assigned to work on a live maintenance project. Rocksteady reportedly declined to share details about the hiring process, which led to employee retention issues when expectations for new hires fell short.
A sprawling studio with no clear direction
The vision of the game was also constantly changing, and the leaders of Rocksteady eventually decided to focus on shooting instead of hand-to-hand combat, as it was done the first time. It was a shift that led some developers to question why they chose to put characters like Captain Boomerang and King Shark, who normally don’t wield firearms, at the center of the experience.
Other management decisions have left developers in awe. Studio co-founder Sefton Hill reportedly wanted modified vehicles that could be used to navigate the open world. This came after the team had already implemented a unique bypass mechanic for each playable character. It was eventually scrapped after months of development and prototyping.
Another problem came from having to endlessly replay bosses and battles to scratch the live maintenance itch. Rocksteady only had a single-player experience and ultimately struggled to make sure these encounters could go far.
Those who worked on the project said concern had been raised internally but would be met with “toxic positivity”. Management has reportedly adopted an “evening will be fine” mentality and informed staff Suicide squad the disparate parts will come together on the last stretch. Warner Bros. executives appear to have taken a similar stance, praising the various incarnations of the title and claiming it has the potential to become a billion-dollar franchise.
The rest, as they say, is history. But for the full story it’s a must check out the full Bloomberg report.