London-based game developer Rocksteady has suffered layoffs, according to a report freshly published by Eurogamer. The bulk of the layoffs is reportedly found in the studio's Quality Assurance department, which had its headcount nearly halved to 15 down from 33. Moreover, at least one non-QA member of the studio has publicly revealed on social media he was fired while on paternity leave.
Sources within Rocksteady cited by Eurogamer acknowledge that this round of layoffs will inevitably cut into the quality of game development, as well as burden the remaining developers with more work.
The cause can easily be found in the failure of the studio's most recent game, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. It took Rocksteady nine years after Batman: Arkham Knight (eight if you count Batman: Arkham VR), and despite all this time, the final game was highly disappointing. On Wccftech, the game received a mediocre 5 out of 10 score from Nathan Birch:
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has a sprinkling of that classic Rocksteady charm, delivering polished visuals, fluid traversal and combat, and some snappy repartee, but the whole experience is bogged down by dreary, repetitive mission design, empty live service elements, and a feel-bad story that’s mean-spirited to the point of feeling oddly resentful. Perhaps most damning, not even the thing promised in the game’s title – fighting and dispatching the Justice League – ends up being particularly fun or memorable. Those who really want to see what becomes of the Arkhamverse may not be able to resist picking this up, but I suggest waiting for a steep discount before subjecting yourself to this tedious team-up.
Its performance was just as bad, causing Warner Bros. a 41% decrease in game revenues year-over-year compared to February 2023's outstanding launch of Hogwarts Legacy, which would become the best-selling game of 2023. Rocksteady has attempted to improve Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League post-launch but with little effect on its overall reception.
According to a previous rumor, a portion of the studio is currently helping make a Director's Cut version of Hogwarts Legacy. The good news is that even after these layoffs, Rocksteady doesn't seem to be in any real danger of being shut down, and there are whispers it will go back to what it does best: Batman games.
