Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League – From Live-Service Ambition to Developer Burnout

Rocksteady Studios, celebrated for the single-player Batman Arkham trilogy, was assigned in fall 2018 by Warner Bros. to develop a live-service multiplayer title, *Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League*. The project was intended to generate recurring revenue through endless content, a stark departure from the studio’s established design approach of finite, story-driven experiences.

Bloomberg

• Fall 2018: Axel Rydby joins Rocksteady as top designer for the new game.

Bloomberg

• 2022: Rydby promoted to director of the project.

Bloomberg

• 2024 Feb: *Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League* launches after multiple delays, receiving poor sales and reviews.

Bloomberg

• 2025: Rydby and Johnny Armstrong leave Rocksteady.

Bloomberg

• Late 2025: The duo launches a Kickstarter for *Secret of Circadia* with an $11,404 goal.

Bloomberg

Development spanned more than seven years. Each delay increased the budget and shifted focus toward meeting short-term milestones rather than substantive redesigns.

Bloomberg

Rydby and Armstrong describe a culture shift from creating single-player levels to sustaining an endlessly replayable multiplayer environment. Executives repeatedly asked projected player counts and feature replayability, pressuring the team to prioritize financial metrics over creative iteration. Both designers report that the relentless schedule eroded their enthusiasm for game development.

Bloomberg

Warner Bros. reported a $200 million loss tied to the title’s performance. Internal meetings emphasized revenue recovery, with executives asking, “How many players can we reach with this feature?” Warner subsequently ceased further investment in the title, opting to move on without attempting a turnaround.

Bloomberg

The case illustrates challenges when a studio renowned for narrative-driven single-player games transitions to a live-service model. Developers cited loss of creative autonomy and a shift toward profit-centric decision-making, suggesting broader concerns about the sustainability of such development approaches within the industry.

Bloomberg

In response to their experience, Rydby and Armstrong co-developed *Secret of Circadia*, an RPG deck-building game framed as a cautionary tale about AI and nature. The Kickstarter seeks $11,404 to fund development, positioning the project as a return to passion-driven design.

Bloomberg

• “I was following a spreadsheet, some elusive marketing-analysis spreadsheet that no one could present clearly. I kind of felt like this isn’t the gaming industry I wanted to work in.” — Axel Rydby, former director, Rocksteady Studios

Bloomberg

• “There was definitely a sense when we first moved on to it — arrogance is the wrong word, but a confidence,” — Johnny Armstrong, former associate design director, Rocksteady Studios

Bloomberg

• “We put all these hours in, but it didn’t feel like it was tangibly getting better,” — Axel Rydby

Bloomberg

• “That’s just enough to just fix as many bugs as you can and see if you can squeeze in a bit of feature tweaks here and there.” — Axel Rydby

Bloomberg

• “I said, ‘I can’t do this again. I don’t know if I’m done with the industry, but I’m done.’ I could feel myself coming apart at the seams.” — Johnny Armstrong

Bloomberg

Public sources provide only qualitative assessments of the game’s sales performance; precise unit-sales figures are not disclosed, leaving a gap in quantifying the commercial shortfall beyond the reported $200 million loss.

Bloomberg

The Kickstarter for *Secret of Circadia* remains active, with the developers hoping to demonstrate a sustainable, creator-focused model. Their experience may influence ongoing industry debates about the viability of live-service games for studios traditionally rooted in single-player design.

Bloomberg