Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League launched to huge fanfare but failed to keep the momentum going. Soon, the game was ridiculed by fans because of its bland storyline and failure to integrate various fan-favorite elements properly. ]
With the release of the much-awaited Joker in the game, Rocksteady Studios had hoped to salvage its flailing player counts. But underdeveloped content and grinding or paying to get the Joker made players lose interest pretty soon. In spite of experiencing an initial surge in number, the peak player count soon dropped below 1000.
Joker Fails To Save the Suicide Squad
After Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League‘s lackluster beginnings, everybody hoped Joker would turn the franchise around. With the player count at an all-time low, the release of Joker did not go as planned by Rocksteady Studios.
The Joker was released on March 28th along with Season 1 of the game. This sparked a temporary rush by fans to get their hands on the iconic supervillain. But the character was not able to resuscitate the dying game. You can learn how to unlock the Joker as a playable character here.
The release of the character was followed by a 500% increase in Steam player count. Although that means the number of players went up from 600 to 3000 which is pretty low for a AAA title. But pretty soon fans got bored with the repetitive nature of the game and the grind that is required to unlock the character. And the peak player count fell below 1000 pretty soon.
Angry Joe, a popular streamer, branded the release as “low effort garbage“. Fans seem to echo his sentiments if the failing player count is any indicator.
Why Was Suicide Squad Bound To Fail?
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, like its name suggests, has players killing of their favorite Justice League characters who have been brainwashed by Brainiac. The game alienated itself from hardcore comic book fans who seethed at the treatment meted out to their favorite superheroes.
The Dark Knight’s ignoble ending at the hands of Harley Quinn sent a jarring shockwave among fans. Many couldn’t believe the fate that Rocksteady had in store for its iconic hero, the Arkham Batman. Moreover, the death of Superman, Flash, and Green Lantern at the hands of the Suicide Squad left the fans of the DC comics appalled.
On top of that were the numerous issues that bugged the live service concept of the game. Added to it were the numerous bugs and glitches that the developers failed to iron out after several new patches and updates. The result was a comprehensively poor game, driven solely by the studio’s desire to make money rather than providing fans with a proper Suicide Squad experience.
With games like Helldivers 2 and Palworld making waves, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League stands out as a beacon as to exactly what not to do in a video game. The failing of the mega-money game should become a case study for future developers who wish to avoid releasing subpar games.
What do you think of the Joker’s release in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League? Did you find it worth the grind? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.