Kill the Justice League financials are bad news for the Arkhamverse
After waiting nine years to see what Rocksteady Studios was working on next, it's fair to say that most think Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League wasn't worth the wait. While Rocksteady tried something different instead of just leaning on Batman, the title took a beating from Harley Quinn's mallet.
Ignoring all the usual complaints that Kill the Justice League had gone 'woke,' there were genuine concerns over the game's short length, repetitive objectives, and swapping that classic Arkham story for a Destiny-inspired looter shooter formula. Now, it seems those same concerns have hit Warner Bros. in the pocket.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League fell 'short' of expectations
Click to enlargeAs reported by IGN, Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Financial Officer, Gunnar Wiedenfels, spoke to staff during a financial call. Wiedenfels admitted the AAA game has "fallen short of our expectations" since its February 2 release.
Although there wasn't an official number on how many copies have been sold, he said Kill the Justice League's failure has set the studio up for a "tough" year after Hogwarts Legacy took the crown as 2023's best-selling game and wiped the likes of Call of Duty off the board.
"This year, Suicide Squad, one of our key video game releases in 2024, has fallen short of our expectations since its release earlier in the quarter, setting our games business up for a tough year-over-year comp in Q1," said Wiedenfels.
Despite many of us playing on console, Kill the Justice League had a concurrent player peak of a middling 13,459 on Steam. At the time of writing, there are just 568 players dialled in. It's also had the adverse effect of driving fans back to Arkham: Knight, which is currently boasting 4,664 players.
What's next for the Arkhamverse?
Click to enlargeThat would be a disappointing end to the once-lauded Arkhamverse, if not for the fact we know this likely won't be the end. Rocksteady has promised an Arkham Asylum of DLC content, starting with an Elseworlds Joker, teasing a gender-flipped Mr. Freeze, and possibly expanding to the likes of Deathstroke.
We'll likely see an uptick in players with each new season, with the proposed Season 3 apparently heading back to Gotham City and pitched as a particular high. The question is, will players stick around long enough to see the roadmap through? Everyone from Killer Croc to Peacemaker has been rumoured, which points to many years of content.
Beyond Kill the Justice League, there have been whispers about spreading our wings for a full-blown Batman: Arkham Knight sequel, while DCU overlord James Gunn has similarly teased he wants more games in the Arkhamverse. We can't imagine disgruntled gamers will wait another nine years, so let's hope KTJL was just a bump in the road.
As tragic as it will be to move past Kevin Conroy's Batman, there are plenty of other heroes and villains to give us the Arkham Knight sequel we deserve. Sadly, Kill the Justice League being such a diversification from what we've come to know and love might've been a gamble that puts Rocksteady on the rocks.
