| Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | Rocksteady Studios[b] |
| Publisher | Warner Bros. Games |
| Directors |
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| Designer | Ian Ball |
| Programmers |
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| Artist | David Hego |
| Writers |
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| Composers |
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| Series | Batman: Arkham |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 4[1] |
| Platforms | |
| Release | February 2, 2024[a] |
| Genres | Action-adventure,third-person shooter |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is a 2024action-adventureshooter game developed byRocksteady Studios and published byWarner Bros. Games. Based on theDC Comics teamSuicide Squad, it is a spin-off of theBatman: Arkham series, and a follow-up toBatman: Arkham Knight (2015). Set five years after the events ofArkham Knight, the game's storyline follows the titular supervillain team, who are assembled byAmanda Waller and sent toMetropolis to stop the alien invaderBrainiac and kill themembers of theJustice League who became brainwashed by him.Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is presented from athird-person perspective and itsopen world design allows players, eitherindividually orcooperatively, tofreely roam Metropolis. The game was announced in August 2020 and was scheduled to be released in 2022, but was delayed multiple times. It had an early access period for owners of the deluxe edition that began on January 29, 2024.
Kill the Justice League was released forPlayStation 5,Windows, andXbox Series X/S on February 2, 2024. The game received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its campaign's story and gameplay, but criticized its repetition andlive service elements. The gamefailed to meet the sales expectations of Warner Bros. Games. Rocksteady ended support for the game in January 2025 following the final post-launch story update.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is anaction-adventure game[2] set in anopen world based inMetropolis. Players control theSuicide Squad, which features a total of eight playable characters, including the four initial members,Deadshot,Harley Quinn,Captain Boomerang, andKing Shark,[3] and the post-launch additions of theJoker,[4] Mrs. Freeze,[5]Lawless,[6] andDeathstroke.[7] While it can be played solo, the game features a four-playercooperative multiplayer mode. When played solo, players can switch between characters at will, while the other characters are controlled by theAI.[8][9]
Each character has access to three weapon classes, with each class being shared by multiple characters. Each character has a unique melee combat style and traversal method, such as Harley Quinn who uses abludgeon and travels using Batman's grapple gun. A skill tree progression system is included, allowing players to re-spec into different skills at any point throughout the game for different build experimentation.[10] Post-launch content was released in the form of "seasons", with frequent free content updates featuring new locations, activities and playable characters.[11]
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is set in theBatman: Arkham universe,[12] five years after the events ofBatman: Arkham Knight (2015). The game centers around theSuicide Squad, which is initially composed ofArkham Asylum inmatesDr. Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn (Tara Strong),[13]George "Digger" Harkness / Captain Boomerang (Daniel Lapaine),Floyd Lawton / Deadshot[c] (Bumper Robinson), and Belle Reve prisonerPrince Nanaue / King Shark (Joe Seanoa),[14] created byA.R.G.U.S. directorAmanda Waller (Debra Wilson).[15] The main antagonist takes the form ofVril Dox / Brainiac (Jason Isaacs),[16] a highly intelligent alien who has invaded Earth and brainwashed its inhabitants, includingJustice League membersKal-El / Clark Kent / Superman (Nolan North),[17]Barry Allen / The Flash (Scott Porter),John Stewart / Green Lantern (Dan White),[18] andBruce Wayne / Batman (Kevin Conroy).[19]
Other characters interacted with in the game includePrincess Diana of Themyscira / Wonder Woman (Zehra Fazal), the only member of the Justice League not under Brainiac's control;[20] ColonelRick Flag Jr. (Jim Pirri), an A.R.G.U.S. operative working for Waller;Lex Luthor (Corey Burton), a megalomaniacal billionaire and Superman'sarch-nemesis;[21]Lois Lane (Seychelle Gabriel), a Metropolis news reporter working for theDaily Planet; Aaron Cash (Duane R. Shepard Sr.), an Arkham Asylum guard;Edward Nigma / The Riddler (Wally Wingert), a narcissistic supervillain who challenges the Squad with completing various puzzles across the city;Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin (Nolan North), aGotham City crime lord and weapons dealer who supplies the Squad with anti-metahuman weaponry;Mikron O'Jeneus / Gizmo (Rick Pasqualone), a vehicle expert who develops various means of transportation for the Squad; Zalika / Hack (Omono Okojie), a technomancer who monitors the Squad's neck bombs and provides them upgrades; Hack (Omone Okoji), a technopathic hacker;Hiro Okamura / The Toyman (Christopher Sean), a mechanical genius who idolizes the Justice League;[21] andPamela Isley / Poison Ivy (Darcy Rose Byrnes), a reincarnated version of the plant-controlling supervillain who died during the events ofArkham Knight with no memories of her past life.[22]
Other characters featured are Kamo/Chondrakha (Andrew Morgado), a shark god who is King Shark's father; Taki Matsuda (Anne Yatco), an A.R.G.U.S. agent who assists agents at the firing range; Flynn Russell (Camrus Johnson), an A.R.G.U.S. guard who is knowledgeable about metahumans; Marcus Lo (Daisuke Tsuji), an A.R.G.U.S. guard who guarded Toyman;Sydney Happersen (Dave B. Mitchell), aLexCorp scientist who was Lex Luthor's assistant;Jack Ryder (James Horan, a known reporter in Gotham City who helped to create "The Batman Experience"; and Tianna Cortez (Krizia Bajos), an A.R.G.U.S. guard who stands guard outside of Gizmo's garage.
Post-launch seasons feature the additions of four playable Squad members: theJoker (J. P. Karliak), analternate reality version of Batman's deceased arch-nemesis;[23][4] Dr. Victoria Frias / Mrs. Freeze (Erika Ishii), an alternate reality version ofDr. Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze;[5]Zoe Lawton / Lawless (Marley Soleil), Deadshot's daughter who has taken on a master thief persona in his absence;[6] andSlade Wilson / Deathstroke (Glenn Wrage), a formidable assassin working for A.R.G.U.S.[7]
Arkham Asylum inmates Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, Harley Quinn, and Belle Reve prisoner King Shark are freed from captivity by A.R.G.U.S. director Amanda Waller and are forced to join her Task Force X, the "Suicide Squad". After miniature bombs are injected into their heads, Waller sends the squad into Metropolis which is under attack by Brainiac. When they raid the Hall of Justice, a brainwashed Green Lantern attacks them and explains that Brainiac plans to terraform Earth. The Flash intervenes to rescue the squad but is gravely wounded and captured by a brainwashed Batman. The squad retreats to the Hall of Justice and encounters Wonder Woman, the only other member of the Justice League who was not brainwashed. She refuses to work with them as Waller orders the squad to kill the Justice League and end their threat.
Waller has the squad scour Metropolis for weapons and technology that can be used against the Justice League, as well as forcibly recruiting other villains into their ranks. They attempt to apprehend Lex Luthor to obtain his knowledge, but he is killed by a now-brainwashed Flash; the squad narrowly escape thanks to Wonder Woman's intervention. She subdues the Flash to find a way to stop Brainiac, with him replying that the only way is to kill her friends. The squad is supplied with anti-Speed Force technology, which they use to kill the Flash. Green Lantern arrives and forces the squad to flee through one of Brainiac's portals. The squad finds themselves transported to Earth-2, an alternate Earth that has already been destroyed by Brainiac. They meet an alternate version of Luthor, nicknamed Lex-2, who reveals that he had been collaborating with his Earth-1 counterpart to prepare for Brainiac's invasion.
Lex-2 transports the squad back to their dimension and warns that Waller will have them killed as her Earth-2 version did to her own squad. The squad breaks into Wayne Enterprises' secret bank vault, where they find Wonder Woman crafting a Kryptonite-based shield. After she leaves, Lex-2 secures Yellow Lantern batteries that Batman was keeping as a contingency against Green Lantern and gives them to the squad. He reveals that Waller has no intention of granting the squad their freedom, either letting them get killed or otherwise using Brainiac's mind-control technology on them. The squad confronts and kills Green Lantern, temporarily disabling a shield protecting Brainiac's ship. Waller attempts to call a nuclear strike on Brainiac, willing to sacrifice the squad, but a brainwashed Superman thwarts her plans.
Wonder Woman and Superman battle each other as the squad attempts to escort Waller to safety inside the Hall of Justice. Wonder Woman stabs Superman with a shard of Kryptonite, but he survives and kills her before retreating to Brainiac's ship. Lex-2 theorizes that Brainiac changed Superman's DNA to be more resistant to Kryptonite and, through Boomerang, suggests to an oblivious Waller that they capture Batman so he can devise a countermeasure. The squad captures Batman in his hideout and takes him to Lex-2, who develops Gold Kryptonite to combat Superman. With no further use for Batman, the squad takes him to an open area, where Harley kills him. Superman is lured out and subsequently killed with the squad's Gold Kryptonite weapons. However, Brainiac captures them, intending to brainwash them to be replacements for the League. Lex-2 rescues them and reveals that he has learned there are thirteen different iterations of Brainiac spread across different dimensions working together to take over the entire multiverse.
Waller and Lex-2 coordinate to teleport the squad to the first Brainiac's location on Earth-2 to confront him directly, where he proceeds to mimic the Flash's appearance and abilities. After a lengthy battle, the squad subdues and captures Brainiac, allowing Lex-2 to extract the information in his brain. The extraction ends up killing Brainiac, with the primary Brainiac's ship reacting by partially exploding. The squad prepares to hunt down the twelve Brainiacs remaining across the multiverse.
Following the defeat of the first Brainiac, the primary Brainiac begins to phase parts of other worlds into Earth-1 and enhances his troops. Waller sends the squad to "Joker Earth", an alternate universe where Brainiac terraformed Metropolis using the DNA of the Joker, who killed his own Suicide Squad and A.R.G.U.S. forces in a failed suicide bombing attempt to kill Brainiac. The squad battles the second Brainiac, who takes the form of Green Lantern, and defeats him. The squad then captures the Joker and takes him back to Earth-1, where he agrees to join them in the ongoing war against Brainiac's forces. As the battle continues on Earth-1, Brainiac adapts his forces by infusing them with Green Lantern's DNA, giving them his powers. The squad returns to Joker Earth once more to confront the third Brainiac, who takes the form of Superman, and emerges victorious.
Waller establishes contact with Dr. Victoria Frias / Mrs. Freeze, a female variant of Dr. Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze from a world invaded by Brainiac, to enlist her help in stopping the invasion on Earth-1 and recovering the Flash, who is revealed to still be alive after his signal was detected on Brainiac's Skull Ship. The squad is deployed to clear out various incursions on Freeze's world, dubbed "Frozen Earth". Afterward, they are tasked with escorting Freeze and her cryogenically frozen wife, Nora, to Earth-1. Having ensured Nora's safety, Freeze agrees to join the squad. The squad confronts the fourth Brainiac, who uses a combination of the Flash and Superman's powers to combat them but is ultimately defeated. The squad successfully retrieves the Flash, uncorrupted, and returns to Earth-1, where the latter is put into stasis for recovery. Freeze proceeds to study the Flash, which also helps to accelerate her progress on finding a cure for Nora, though she begins to notice an inconsistency between Brainiac's actions and his strategy. The squad continues their work on Frozen Earth, and eventually defeats the fifth Brainiac.
Deadshot's daughter, Zoe Lawton, contacts the squad and reveals that she has been operating as the vigilante Lawless, tackling Brainiac's forces behind the scenes while also attempting to locate Green Lantern who is revealed to still be alive. Waller sends the squad to "Fear World", a universe where Earth made its last stand against Brainiac in Gotham City. Here, Lawless tasks the squad with disabling Brainiac's armada so she can extract Green Lantern from his pod. They succeed, though Lawless remains stuck on Brainiac's Skull Ship, forcing the squad to return later to extract her. The squad faces the sixth Brainiac, who uses a combination of Green Lantern and Superman’s powers, and defeats him. Upon returning to the Hall of Justice in Earth-1, Lawless willingly signs up to join Task Force X, in spite of Deadshot's protests. The squad continues their fight on Fear World, and eventually defeats the seventh Brainiac.
Waller tasks the squad with infiltrating "Medieval Earth", a feudal-themed universe Brainiac has only recently invaded, to help extract Deathstroke, who is revealed to have been working with Waller since the beginning of Brainiac's invasion and has killed two variants on his own. After dismantling several of Brainiac's operations, the squad confronts the eighth Brainiac on Medieval Earth, where Deathstroke quickly kills him before he can retaliate. Deathstroke and the squad then return to Earth-1.
With Brainiac's forces dwindling, Waller orders the squad to return to Medieval Earth and kill the primary Brainiac, as well as rescue Superman. The squad, with support from the Flash and Green Lantern, battles the final three Brainiac iterations, and defeats them. They are then joined by Superman and Batman, who manage to escape from their containment pods, with Batman landing the final blow on Brainiac, ending his invasion for good and saving the multiverse. Superman reveals to the squad that the League members they killed were merely clones created by Brainiac to serve him. He then enlists the squad to help the League clear out remnants of Brainiac's forces across the multiverse. The support squad members also help disable all of the squad's neck bombs, rendering Waller unable to harm them. A statue of Wonder Woman is erected to honor her sacrifice. As the squad joins the League on their new mission, they deliver Brainiac to Waller as a parting gift and pass classified A.R.G.U.S. documents toDaily Planet reporter Lois Lane.
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A video game based on theSuicide Squad was announced by thenDC Comics chief creative officerGeoff Johns in July 2010.[24] In February 2012, he elaborated that the game was in development, adding that "Because of the concept, you have a game where any of the lead characters can conceivably die and it's not a stunt. Some really cool story could come out of that."[25] The formation of the Suicide Squad was teased at the end ofBatman: Arkham Origins (2013)—developed byWB Games Montréal—which featured apost-credits scene in whichDeathstroke is asked byAmanda Waller to join the team, and inBatman: Arkham Origins Blackgate (2013), in whichDeadshot andBronze Tiger join the team withBane under consideration.[26][27] In the years sinceBatman: Arkham Knight (2015) was released, there had been rumors suggesting that WB Games Montréal was working on a Suicide Squad game, but no official announcement was made from the development team or publisher.[28] In December 2016,Jason Schreier fromKotaku revealed that the title was cancelled.[29]
Rocksteady, the creator of theBatman: Arkham franchise, was initially rumored to be working on aSuperman-themed game, which they later debunked.[30] Rocksteady announcedSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League in August 2020,[31] with the first trailer for the game premiering atDC FanDome on August 22, 2020. As the game is set in the "Arkhamverse", plot threads established in theBatman: Arkham series, including theJoker's death inBatman: Arkham City (2011) and the public revelation of Batman's identity as Bruce Wayne inArkham Knight, would continue inSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.[32] The Los Angeles–based company Unbroken Studios assisted Rocksteady in the development of the game.[33]Sweet Baby Inc. contributed to the game's script.[34]
Following the game's release and subsequent failure, anonymous sources detailed a troubled development process that included shifting priorities, managerial bottlenecks, and a culture of "toxic positivity." The game originally focused on melee combat before moving to gunplay. Rocksteady co-founder Sefton Hill also tried to introduce a complex vehicle system late in development before it was ultimately scrapped.[35]
On March 23, 2022, Rocksteady announced thatSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League had been delayed from its initial 2022 launch window to early 2023.[36] AtThe Game Awards 2022, the release date was revealed to be May 26, along with the announcement that Batman would appear in the game, posthumously voiced byKevin Conroy in what was marketed as his final performance as the character following his death on November 10, 2022.[37][38][39][40]
On February 23, 2023, during a PlayStationState of Play and a separate FAQ, Rocksteady confirmed the game would require an internet connection at all times, have abattle pass, and is set to receive post-launch content such as new playable characters, missions and weapons.[11][41] On 8 December 2023, Rocksteady announced that an offline mode will be added to the game after launch.[42]
On April 13, 2023, Rocksteady announced that the game had been delayed again to 2 February 2024.[43] TheEpic Games Store version, however, was delayed to March 5, 2024, then later to March 26, 2024, for unspecified reasons.[44]
On January 29, 2024, the game was released 72 hours as early access for owners of the deluxe edition on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Later that day, servers were taken down for several hours to fix a bug that caused players' story progress to be fully complete upon starting the game,[45] with developers later giving affected players in-game currency in the way of an apology.[46]
Four additional playable Squad members were introduced during the game's post-launch seasons, starting with an alternate reality version of theJoker, which was released on March 28.[4] Warner Bros. Games confirmed it will complete the game's four-season roadmap and Rocksteady will continue to support the game through at least the first year.[47] Season 2, featuring the addition of Mrs. Freeze, was announced on July 3, with a release date of July 11,[5] but was delayed shortly before release to July 25.[48] Season 3, featuring the addition of Lawless, was announced on September 26, with a release date of October 1.[6] Season 4, featuring the addition of Deathstroke and an offline mode, was announced on December 6, with a release date of December 10.[7][49] Rocksteady ended support for the game in January 2025.[49]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | (PC) 63/100[50] (PS5) 60/100[51] (XSXS) 61/100[52] |
| OpenCritic | 20%[69] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Digital Trends | 2.5/5[53] |
| Eurogamer | 3/5[54] |
| Famitsu | 32/40[55] |
| Game Informer | 6/10[56] |
| GameSpot | 5/10[57] |
| GamesRadar+ | 2.5/5[58] |
| Hardcore Gamer | 2.5/5[59] |
| IGN | 5/10[60] |
| NME | 3/5[61] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 67/100[62] |
| PCGamesN | 4/10[63] |
| Push Square | 7/10[64] |
| Shacknews | 5/10[65] |
| The Guardian | 2/5[66] |
| Video Games Chronicle | 4/5[67] |
| VG247 | 3/5[68] |
Press previews in January 2024 were "overwhelmingly negative", according toKotaku's John Walker andVG247's Sherif Saed, with the game further suffering frombugs and server issues.[46][70][71][72] It was also noted that many outlets were not sent review codes before the game's release.[72][73] In an interview with the BBC'sNewsbeat,Eurogamer writer Victoria Phillips Kennedy said she found the situation to withhold codes "slightly unusual".[72] Both Kennedy and Saed speculated the decision was in response to the previews,[70] while Chris Carter ofDestructoid felt the technical issues had also played a part.[71] Some noted that no outlet was entitled to a review code,[70][74] and that similar circumstances for other games had occurred before.[74]
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League received "mixed or average" reviews, according toreview aggregator websiteMetacritic,[50][51][52] with 20% of critics recommending the game onOpenCritic.[69] In Japan, four critics fromFamitsu gave the game a total score of 32 out of 40, with each critic awarding the game an 8 out of 10.[55]
Writing forIGN, Simon Cardy called the plot a "genuinely good DC comics story", but criticized the repetitive gameplay and "tired and dull" mechanics.[60]Push Square's Aaron Bayne concluded that while he found the game fun and better than otherlive service games, it was still a lesser product than theArkham games.[64] InForbes, Paul Tassi singled out the campaign as a point of criticism, stating that it is "not good. And gets increasingly worse as time goes on". He praised the graphical fidelity on display in cutscenes, as well as the combat mechanics.[75]
More positively,Video Games Chronicle's Jordan Middler concluded that the game was "much better than the marketing would have you believe", enjoying the writing and gameplay, but believing it was let down by its live service elements.[67] Zack Zwiezen forKotaku also concurred, expressing that the game was fun and well-written, though criticizing the repetitive mission design and live service endgame that he thought soured the ending.[76]
Batman's portrayal in Kevin Conroy's final video game role as the character was highlighted.Polygon's Michael McWhertor wrote that Batman's presence was not only felt throughout the game, but that his depiction was in keeping with prior entries, particular praising Conroy's performance.[77] Conversely, writing inIGN, Jesse Schedeen opined that he considered Rocksteady's handling of Batman poor, describing it as a waste of potential compared to how he was last seen inArkham Knight.[78]Batman's fate also drew backlash from some fans who claimed it was disrespectful, both as a sendoff and to Conroy's legacy.[79][80][81] Tassi felt the response an overreaction given the comic book nature of the game and therefore ability to handwave decisions in this medium.[82]Den of Geek's Matthew Byrd criticized the idea that the game's creative decisions should have been changed because of Conroy's death, while also partly linking the controversy to online culture wars seeking to depict the game as "woke".[81]
While declining to give a sales figure,Warner Bros. Discovery chief financial officer Gunnar Wiedenfels confirmed in an earnings call in February 2024 thatSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League had failed to meet the company's expectations financially and would lead to a "tough year-over-year comp in Q1" for the game's division of the company.[83] In May, Warner Bros. revealed that it had taken a $200 million loss on the game.[35] In August, Warner Bros. reported a decline of 41 percent in their year-over-year revenue, attributing this to the "weak performance" of the game.[84][85] In September 2024, anonymous employees toldEurogamer that Rocksteady's QA team had experienced a layoff, reducing the team's headcount by half, as a result of the game's poor sales.[86] The studio suffered another layoff before the year's end, this time to the programming and artist teams, as well as more QA staff.[87]
A prequel comic titledSuicide Squad: Kill Arkham Asylum was originally scheduled to release on May 30, 2023, four days after the game was originally set to release, but was delayed to October 2023, and delayed again to February 6, 2024. Its story takes place between the events ofArkham Knight andSuicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, and explains how Amanda Waller took control ofArkham Asylum and recruited Task Force X for their mission to kill the Justice League.[88]
What a couple of months Rocksteady has had. It's unusual for AAA games to receive such overwhelmingly negative previews.
"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," Wiedenfels said.
_Dec_2024.jpg){kind=icon}
