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Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has been delayed yet again. In a tweet, developer Rocksteady Studios confirmed that its upcoming DC Comics looter-shooter has been pushed to a February 2, 2024 release date. Reports from last month suggested that the game was being delayed until later this year, following fan backlash from a PlayStation State of Play event for the game, showcasing detailed gameplay and a live service model. But it seems like the team needs a lot more time to ensure a polished experience at launch. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was originally slated for a May 26 release and will now arrive nine months later — which at first might seem like a long time for polish, but as per Bloomberg games reporter Jason Schreier, it’s “actually normal these days.”
“We have made the tough but necessary decision to take the time needed to work on getting the game to be the best quality experience for players,” the statement from Rocksteady Studios reads. “Thank you to our amazing community for the continued support, patience, and understanding.” The developer added that it’s got much more to share in the coming months, but as mentioned before, there won’t be any changes to the core mechanics. For the uninitiated, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League showcased some raw gameplay last month, featuring elements that aligned with a live service game and a battle pass system, which according to the studio, will only unlock cosmetic items. Since the game has you play as members of Task Force X — Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and King Shark — it also felt odd that they were all equally equipped with guns, instead of having unique kits and movesets.
The generally negative reception stems from the outdated design philosophy and Rocksteady’s history, which is known for making single-player grounded narratives based on Batman’s mythos. The Suicide Squad game will instead focus on four-player co-op — akin to Marvel’s Avengers — albeit a solo mode is included as well, where your remaining squad gets taken control of by bots. It was previously confirmed that none of these mechanics will change and that the additional time will be used for bug fixing and optimisation. “Nine months is not enough time to completely change the nature of a game,” games reporter Schreier tweeted. “Folks are surprised a dev would take nine extra months to polish a game, but that’s actually normal these days. (Nine years between games: less normal.)” The latter is referring to Rocksteady’s development cycle — their last project was Batman: Arkham Knight, released in 2015.
Schreier also notes that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 releasing in September could also have been a factor for this delay, so as to not risk direct competition. The release window for the PS5-exclusive was never officially confirmed by Insomniac Games, but Tony Todd, the Venom voice actor on the title, revealed it last month, via Twitter. Server stability on the Suicide Squad game should also be taken into account since co-op is a key component and you’d also require a continuous internet connection. Meaning, even if you choose to play by yourself, the game simply will not launch unless it detects an internet connection.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will now release February 2, 2024, on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X.