Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has been a hot topic recently, after a major PlayStation State of Play helmed the reveal of live service elements and collectible gear in the adventure. Responses to this showing were fairly negative, with some fans calling it a major disappointment, and others claiming it solidified their decision not to purchase the game. Following weeks of discourse, a new report now claims Suicide Squad is being further delayed by Rocksteady Studios.
According to Bloomberg‘s Jason Schreier, Rocksteady has chosen to push Suicide Squad out of its current May 2023 release slot for a multitude of reasons. The first is to avoid competition from titles like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Diablo 4, and Final Fantasy 16 (not to mention Redfall, which features similar co-op gameplay). The second and most important reason is reportedly the need to polish the game.
‘For what it’s worth, a delay like this is mainly for polish, not to overhaul the core gameplay that caused the backlash,’ Schreier said on Twitter. ‘Suicide Squad started off as a Game as a Service and will remain one short of a complete reboot, which would require a much longer delay.’
Read: Everything we know about Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
For now, details of this reported delay are being kept under wraps. Rocksteady has yet to comment on Bloomberg‘s report, and no official statement has been provided. This is likely a matter of delicacy. While the game’s potential delay is for simple, understandable reasons – many blockbusters have experienced truncated development cycles in the mid-pandemic years – any announcement will be complicated by loud fan outcry.
The appearance of live service elements in the game has already off-sided many fans, and current sentiment around it remains negative. Once a game has been tarred by controversy, it’s difficult to reverse the tide. That puts community managers and developers in the firing line for renewed backlash – a circumstance Rocksteady is likely hoping to avoid.
At this stage, it’s unclear what the future of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League holds. While a delay may be announced shortly, it’s unlikely to change the game drastically. Given that may be the case, Suicide Squad will likely continue to exist in an unfortunate sort of limbo, caught between fan expectations and reality.
Stay tuned to hear more about Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League as Rocksteady works to address current reports and rumours. For now, the game is still ‘officially’ set to release on 26 May 2023 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows PC.
