Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League dev insists the game goes beyond live service “label”

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s proposed features seem to fit very neatly in the live service category. Despite that, the team at Rocksteady is hesitant to place the game there.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is right around the corner and it would be fair to call the game’s development tumultuous. Despite coming from a trusted team at Rocksteady, reveals of an online focus and live service-style mechanics have been met with concern from prospective players.

The game was delayed shortly after the first wave of news about features like gear scores and battle passes and many fans speculated it was due to the backlash surrounding this. Rocksteady insisted the delays were for polish and broke their silence with a 19-minute gameplay showcase that didn’t do much to quell criticism.

Despite the rough sailing through Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s pre-release period, Rocksteady’s Studio Product Director Darius Sadeghian has a lot of faith in the game. In an interview with PLAY Magazine (via GamesRadar+) he explained that the development team doesn’t view the game “as fitting with any particular label.”

Carefully avoiding the use of the term live service, Sadeghian reiterated that the team had a clear vision for a four-player game from the beginning. “For us, it wasn’t so much about making a game in any particular genre. Rather, the focus is on creating a sense of flow and trinity between all our gameplay systems,” he noted.

Sadeghian highlighted the wealth of free content planned for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League including cosmetics, story missions, and playable characters. On top of this, he spoke of an effort to foster “a global Suicide Squad community” via social features and competitive leaderboards.

“We wanted to make a game where each player is connected to that larger community and where we, as developers, get the opportunity to invite the community to evolve this game together with us,” he clarified. While this certainly sounds like the usual live service fare, Sadeghian ensured players that the departure in overall style wouldn’t translate to something unrecognizable from Rocksteady.

He promised that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is “still full of the DNA that infuses the Batman: Arkham series”. If the unfortunate leaks including story spoilers for the game hold any weight, there is a definite connection to the beloved Arkham franchise.

The negative response surrounding Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League in the lead-up to its release can be a hard thing for a studio to overcome. Still, Sadeghian seems confident that Rocksteady has crafted something that players will enjoy.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League releases on February 2, 2024, but players can jump in a few days early. Those who purchase the Deluxe Edition of the game will receive early access beginning on January 30, 2024.