Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League can’t catch a break, least of all from Warner Brothers, as the company shares a brand-new earnings report. With its divisive narrative and gameplay steering away from previous Arkhamverse games, Kill the Justice League has been in the crosshairs of frustrated players before and after launching on PS5 and Xbox. To make matters worse, Warner Brothers highlights the immense success of Hogwarts Legacy alongside Rocksteady’s shortfalls.
Speaking on the year ahead for Warner Brothers across videogames and movies, WB Discovery chief financial officer Gunnar Wiedenfels reveals that “this year, Suicide Squad [Kill the Justice League], one of our key video game releases in 2024, has fallen short of our expectations since its release in the earlier quarter.” As a result of lackluster interest in Rocksteady’s new PS5 game and new Xbox game, Wiedenfels expresses that it is setting up Warner Brothers’ gaming division for a “tough year” ahead.
Exact figures detailing Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League’s sales are unknown, but the recent fall in players on other platforms indicates that it’s struggled to attract and retain players. On the other hand, Weidenfels makes mention of Hogwarts Legacy, which emerged as the highest selling game of 2023, bettering major releases like Modern Warfare 3 and Starfield. Hogwarts Legacy isn’t exactly one of the best PS5 games or best Xbox games, but it definitely became an essential RPG game for Harry Potter fans.
With over 24 million copies sold as of January this year, Wiedenfels clarifies that the “largest portion of its very positive financial impact [was acquired] in the first quarter.”
While there’s no doubt Hogwarts Legacy was a smash and that Kill The Justice League has its flaws, even a perfectly-executed Suicide Squad game was never going to replicate that level of success. Sure, it may have “fallen short” of expectations, but comparing the two does seem unfair on Rocksteady.
It certainly doesn’t help that last year also saw the release of a major PS5 exclusive, Spider-Man 2. Insomniac Games’ sequel set new bars for the franchise again, and the superhero genre as a whole in gaming. However, if you look past the controversy Kill the Justice League has conjured up, there is a fantastic story and mechanically sturdy third-person shooter to be found.
Rocksteady is consistently listening to player concerns with each update, and recent patches have made it easier to get started with endgame activities. Beyond that, Season 1 is fast approaching, which introduces the Joker as a new playable character. There are tons of reliable leaks shedding light on some awesome sounding updates, like the arrival of Deathstroke down the line. Year one of Kill the Justice League will be important for its future, and hopefully it can gain some new fans along the way while proving it has what it takes to be one of the best co-op games.