Rocksteady Studios has become the latest video game studio to be hit with layoffs. The studio is coming off the release of its blockbuster shooter Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, which reportedly failed to meet the sales expectations of Warner Bros. Games.
As reported by Eurogamer, the developer has downsized its QA department by nearly have, reducing the team from 33 members to just 15. According to Rocksteady staff who spoke with the website, the "poor sales of Suicide Squad directly cited as a reason for its 'restructuring'."
Rocksteady has not offered an official statement on the reported layoffs, although anonymous sources told Eurogamer that the losses in the QA department will leave remaining employees "shouldered with more work." Rocksteady's senior management has also reportedly admitted that "product quality will now suffer as a result."
Rocksteady is best known for developing the critically acclaimed Batman: Arkham series, but their latest release was Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, an action-adventure shooter that focuses on the DC Comics supervillains.
The Batman: Arkham spin-off was a follow-up to 2015's Batman: Arkham Knight and was set five years after the game's events. The storyline follows Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and King Shark as they are assembled by Amanda Waller and sent to Metropolis to stop the alien invader Brainiac, including killing the members of the brainwashed Justice League.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was met with mixed reviews at launch. While the story and gameplay was praised by critics, the game was criticized for its repetition and live service elements. The game sits at just a 60/100 on Metacritic with just a 3.5/10 among users.
The reviews apparently translated into poor sales for the game. Last month, Warner Bros. reported a 41 percent fall in gaming revenue year-on-year due to the "weak performance" for Suicide Squad. The publisher had previously revealed it had lost $200 million on the game.
Despite the poor sales and reviews of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Rocksteady has continued to work on post-launch content for the game. The latest season just introduced Mrs. Freeze to the game, although her arrival was met with mixed reactions.
It remains to be seen how much support the game will receive now with these layoffs. We still don't know what Rocksteady is working on next. The developer has not yet issued a statement on the layoffs.
Did you play Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League? If so, how have you enjoyed it?