What Went Wrong with Suicide Squad
340https://m.soundcloud.com/roa_music1031Rocksteady's Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League isn't exactly proving universally popular. This is an unfortunate turn of events, as the pivot away from a tight single-player narrative to a broader, live service inspired multiplayer appears to be an attempt to make a game that appeals to everyone.
In various interviews, staff at Rocksteady have spoken about how Kill the Justice League is intended as a game to entertain groups of friends who enjoy playing with each other (while also bickering a fair amount and teasing each other). At the same time, Rocksteady developers have also described how they've tried to get as much of their familiar storytelling into the game as possible.
This balancing act is difficult to do in any game, and it's not a surprise that Rocksteady hasn't managed to make a game that wins over any given audience, with fans of live service titles feeling that cutscenes get in the way of the action, and fans of Rocksteady's Arkham games feeling like the magic has been diluted with a new focus on multiplayer, low-stakes gameplay.
Having filmed this video last week, I almost didn't finish it. I worried that the zeitgeist might have moved on beyond Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, I worried that my take wouldn't be well received and that my production values aren't great. I've got some new lights, and I'm still getting the hang of how to use them.
Linky to hotcyder's video on Suicide Squad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2K_vQQPh-U
Ultimately I'm glad I persevered with this video. Even if it doesn't end up being hugely popular, I feel like this was a good learning opportunity for me personally, and I feel like I'm closer to understanding how to make the kinds of videos I want to make in future.
Lots of love,
Matthew (Kotor)
Sources for this video:
https://gb.readly.com/magazines/play-gb/2024-01-09/6595ff0ffa1561998e346af8
https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/suicide-squad-developer-why-rocksteady-didnt-make-a-justice-league-game/
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4649235-warner-bros-discovery-inc-wbd-q3-2023-earnings-call-transcript
https://podbay.fm/p/kotaku-splitscreen/e/1543478400
https://twitter.com/jasonschreier/status/1725263299992789392?lang=en-GB
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/ex-rocksteady-dev-says-studio-offered-money-after-harassment-complaint-but-no-apology
Music by Roa: https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031