We all know the story at this point. The Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League trailer made its debut during a PlayStation showcase. To say that the reception was poor would be a bit of an understatement as players made it known that this wasn’t the kind of experience they’d want, since the game seemed to have its live-service trappings like the so-called “gear scores”, a Battle Pass, and other problematic choices that made Rocksteady fans wince.
Days passed since the reveal, and we started hearing the news of a delay. At first, it was believed that the game would be delayed a few months. But now, we have official confirmation from Rocksteady that the game is going to be delayed until 2024 as part of a “tough but necessary” decision by the development team.
Here’s the statement as seen in the Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Twitter account:
— Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League (@suicidesquadRS) April 13, 2023
While the February 2nd, 2024 release date seems quite rough for people who have already been expecting the game to release this year, it is understandable as the game had a pretty poor reception after its initial showcase. The gameplay trailer, which was meant to end the PlayStation showcase with bang, ended up being criticized for its loot-focused and live service-like gameplay and structure.
Could this delay be likely used to overhaul and improve the aspects of the game that were harshly criticized by the majority of the gaming audience? It’s hard to say. While the delay is pretty remarkable compared to what early rumors were saying, it still can feel like quite the long time to “fix what’s broken” in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Still, maybe this will allow Rocksteady (and WB Games) to reconsider how they want the last appearance of Kevin Conroy to go.
Jason Schreier has stated that the delay mostly exists to plish the game rather than change it for the better. Only making things more complicated is the gap between the last Arkham release and this game’s upcoming release date:
It will now be a nearly nine year-gap between Rocksteady’s Arkham Knight and Suicide Squad… assuming it hits February
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) April 13, 2023
Still, one can hold out hope that Rocksteady can turn the ship around. However, given the history of the studio and its DLC practices, it certainly doesn’t seem like it’ll be a smooth ride. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will be released on February 2nd, 2024 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.
