A new report from Bloomberg's Jason Schreier claims that Warner Bros. has delayed Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The multiplayer shooter from developer Rocksteady was previously set to launch in May, but will now arrive later this year.
This is the second delay for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League which was originally slated for release in 2022 before getting pushed to May 2023. Warner Bros. has not responded to the report or made an official announcement regarding the game's reported delay.
Fans had just gotten an extensive deep dive into gameplay for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League during Sony's recent State of Play. It received mixed reception from fans with most of the criticism targeting its live-service approach, including its cosmetic microtransactions and always-online requirement.
According to "a person with direct knowledge of the matter," however, the delay is to allow for bug fixes and polish. Many of the core mechanics, including its "Games as a Service" model will remain in place.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is being developed by Rocksteady, the studio behind the acclaimed Batman: Arkham series. Based on the Suicide Squad comic book franchise, the game lets you play as the four members of the titular team of super-criminals -- Deadshot, Harley Quinn, King Shark, and Captain Boomerang -- assembled by Amanda Waller and sent to Metropolis to stop the alien invader Brainiac. This will prove quite challenging though as members of the Justice League, like Flash, Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and Batman, have been brainwashed and possessed. Each of the playable characters has their own unique abilities and traversal mechanics, but the core combat mechanics seem to revolve around the much-maligned concept of "gear score."
While the premise of the game certainly sounds intriguing, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's "Games as a Service" model has left many fans skeptical. In addition to gear score, fans have taken issue with other "feature" of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League such as its Battle Pass and Always-Online policy.
While the Games as a Service approach can be a lucrative one for publishers -- just look at the success of Destiny -- it can also have the opposite effect and kill enthusiasm for a game. Although fans are skeptical of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League right now, perhaps this delay will ultimately be for the better of the game. After all, it's hard to enjoy a game, if it lacks polish.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will be the second release of the year from Warner Bros. Games. The publisher found incredible success with Hogwarts Legacy, an action-roleplaying game based on the Harry Potter franchise. The game, which is entirely single-player, has sold over 12 million copies.