Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguehas been divisive, but unless Rocksteady’s next game was another single-player Batman game that was probably always going to be the case. Rocksteady effectively went from developing the most influential and popular superhero trilogy in games to announcing that it was developing a co-op action-shooter, and even thoughSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguestill takes place in theArkhamuniverseit is understandably a polar opposite genre for fans to wrap their heads around.
Not all fans who adored theArkhamfranchise also love multiplayer shooters, and therefore the transition fromBatman: Arkham KnighttoSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguewill inevitably be alarming for some. Rocksteady never explicitly stated one way or another ifSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguewould be a live-service game, but recent evidence of a live-service model has arrived in the form of a menu screen leak. This menu screen features a battle pass tab and multiple different in-game currencies, which could potentially be a bad sign for the game.
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There is a stigma surrounding live-service multiplayer games now that has tainted each subsequent release, but especially each superhero game that attempts to integrate a co-op or multiplayer element. The primary poster child forlive-service superhero games being poorly received isMarvel’s Avengers, which made a lot of choices fans were unhappy with, as it emphasized microtransactions instead of genuine content. The fear moving forward is that live-service games run their course early and the remainder of their shelf-life consists of vapid microtransactions. Players can indulge in these microtransactions all they want, but skins should not be the only content a game uses to invite players back.
Marvel’s Avengersdid gradually launch new characters, but innumerable bugs plagued its monotonous gameplay, and many of its characters were clones of someone else who was already available on the roster. It is unknown whatSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s live-service and battle pass elements will consist of, but if it is anything like the formula forMarvel’s Avengersthen Rocksteady may have a difficult road ahead of it.
If Rocksteady cannot justify a live-service decision with worthwhile features and fulfilling content, then that may eventually sinkSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leagueand wholly discourage developers from attempting another live-service superhero game for the foreseeable future. However, live-service and battle pass elements don’t have to mean thatSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguewill be unfavorable.
Rocksteady has demonstrated how phenomenal it is as a studio; its work on theArkhamtrilogy should suggest that its next game will be high quality.Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s gameplay looks fantastic, withopen-world movement reminiscent ofSunset Overdrive, and cutscenes whose quality looks like it is taking full advantage of current-gen fidelity.
In fact, it will be intriguing to see Rocksteady’s take on a live-service game, considering that could meanfuture challenge mode updates similar to theArkhamgames. It is possible thatSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguecould be branded as a live-service game but turn that model on its head to create a unique experience for players. It will simply be a matter of knowing what content is planned to release post-launch and how necessary it is for the game to have been live-service in the first place.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguelaunches on July 29, 2025 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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