Former Rocksteady leads Axel Rydby and Johnny Armstrong described the morale hit after Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, connecting its failure to the pressures of live service development.
Image: IGDB
Store links: Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League on Steam
Rocksteady leads describe the fallout after Suicide Squad
Former Rocksteady developers Axel Rydby and Johnny Armstrong have said the response to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League left them questioning whether they wanted to keep making games. Rock Paper Shotgun and IGN both reported on a Bloomberg interview in which the two discussed how the game’s difficult development, weak reception, and Warner Bros. moving on from the project affected them personally.
What they said about the live service pressure
According to Rock Paper Shotgun’s summary of the Bloomberg interview, Rydby said Suicide Squad still seemed promising when he joined Rocksteady in 2018, even though it was a live service game and therefore a major shift from the studio’s Arkham-era identity. RPS reports that Warner Bros. executives repeatedly visited Rocksteady to discuss the money the game could make, while the studio and publisher also agreed it should be generous enough that players would not feel forced to buy extras to enjoy it.
The pressure changed as development dragged on
IGN reports that Rydby, who became the game’s director in 2022, said the long production cycle increased pressure around replayability and engagement as Warner Bros. looked for ways to recoup its investment. Rydby described that turn bluntly in the Bloomberg interview: “That’s when I started feeling like I wasn’t making games anymore. I was following a spreadsheet, some elusive marketing-analysis spreadsheet that no one could present clearly. I kind of felt like this isn’t the gaming industry I wanted to work in.”
The failure hit the team on a human level
Both outlets report that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League launched to poor reviews and poor sales. After release, Rydby questioned whether he still had joy left in making games, according to Rock Paper Shotgun. Armstrong described a similar collapse in morale after Warner Bros. decided to move on from Suicide Squad, saying in the Bloomberg interview: “I felt everything drained from me. I said, ‘I can’t do this again. I don’t know if I’m done with the industry, but I’m done.’ I could feel myself coming apart at the seams.”
Why this matters for players and live service games
For players, the Rocksteady Suicide Squad backlash is not just a postmortem about one disappointing superhero game. It is a reminder that live service game development changes the rhythm of a studio. A team known for authored action-adventure pacing, choreographed combat spaces, and self-contained set pieces was suddenly building around replay loops, engagement targets, and long-term monetization questions. The Bloomberg comments, as reported by IGN and Rock Paper Shotgun, show how those business demands can affect the people making the game, not only the players judging the final product.
What is confirmed and what is not
The confirmed news is limited to the developers’ comments and their next step. Rydby and Armstrong have left Rocksteady, according to Rock Paper Shotgun, and are now working together on Secret of Circadia, described by RPS as a city-builder, deckbuilder, and roguelite about AI and nature reclaiming itself. IGN reports that the project has launched on Kickstarter with an $11,000 funding goal. What is not confirmed in the provided reporting is Rocksteady’s next game. IGN notes that rumors suggest a return to Batman, but that remains rumor, not an announcement.
Practical takeaway for Suicide Squad players
Nothing in the provided reports announces new Suicide Squad content, a renewed roadmap, platform changes, pricing changes, or performance updates. Players still deciding whether to invest time in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League should treat this as a broader signal about the game’s troubled future rather than a buying update. For those interested in the developers behind the interview, the concrete next project named in the reports is Secret of Circadia, which is currently seeking Kickstarter support.