Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Is a Litmus Test for Live-Service Games
Rocksteady Studios are extremely talented game developers. Even if they didn’t prove they could single-handedly create a great AAA superhero video game, they definitely got most of the credit thanks to the deservedly beloved Batman: Arkham trilogy. can be inserted. But they left Batman behind after his 2015 Arkham Knight. fun The 90-minute Batman: Arkham VR Experience, which launched alongside PSVR1 in 2016).Ultimately, we Official terminology On what the studio was doing next: Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
Individually, none of these descriptors make me crawl, but together? Wow. Unfortunately, after last week’s extended Suicide Squad gameplay showcase at Sony State of Play (yeah, it’s an Xbox column, but it’s also an Xbox game, so roll back together here), these All of the adjectives in ‘s are for Kill the Justice.League, the main purpose of the gamecheck notes>”Shoot or punch something purple.” Oh, and there’s also a battle pass and that Requires constant online connectioneven if you’re playing solo.
Before I get to the point, let me clear my disappointment here. Rocksteady’s Batman Arkham trilogy hasn’t just raised the bar for his superhero game.they were each Also a valid Game of the Year contender (and sometimes winner) itself. This studio sets very high standards. His trio in Arkham had the best stealth his gameplay, detective work, and free-flowing melee combat that other games completely ripped off. Fun vehicle gameplay and incredible voice acting. Suicide Squad has…the confounding ability that any of her four completely different characters can wrestle wherever they want in the middle of an open metropolis plaza. i guess…
The point is, I still haven’t seen the Kill the Justice League-inspired design that catapulted Rocksteady to the top of the industry with Batman games. Looking around IGN, Reddit, and social media, I see a lot of similarly disappointing comments from critics and players who have seen his Suicide Squad gameplay the same as mine. And the same few games are still coming, including Marvel’s Avengers, Crackdown, the recent reboot of Saints Row, and Gotham Knights. solid, should be maintained in every studio?I think it boils down to this: we waited 8 years For the next game from this decorated studio. And is the game we’re getting yet another live-service co-op shooter?
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See, live service games aren’t inherently bad. Heck, Destiny is still going strong in its ninth year. The Division was doing well for a while. But the problem is that you can’t do that. Intentionally, seriously play multiple games at once. They are meant to consume all of your time and attention, so of course you can spend more money on those games than on others. Not possible. recently rash of live service game that server is shutting down, especially those that are often out of the market for a long time. guess what? I can promise you there will be more. much more. I’m not happy to say it, but it’s an unavoidable reality: he only has 24 hours in a day anyway, so the number of live service games he can survive and thrive on is limited.
So I think Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is a litmus test for the live service genre. If that sales numbers come up to match current hype levels (meaning very low), a major game publisher throwing in the time and talent of a AAA team for years Not only does it make you reconsider, not to mention the premium he costs that comes with it. Build one of these. To be clear, I have no ill will towards Rocksteady. I want them to surprise me. Even if you don’t, there’s a good chance the more casual majority of game buyers will pick this up and love it.
But the stench in the air around Suicide Squad right now might just be the studio co-founder. soaked: They wanted to distance themselves from what they felt could damage their best reputation before it was too late. to do so. In this hypothetical (but fairly plausible) scenario, they’ll want to attend the VC meeting as “Batman Arkham guys” instead of “Suicide Squad guys.”
Now, the final story about Sefton Hill and Jamie Walker is pure speculation on my part. That’s probably unfair. But whether I’m right or wrong about them, I truly believe that Suicide Squad could very well be the game that will ultimately push the big publishers out of the live service business. I hope it doesn’t!), it will be a very costly and painful lesson for WB, and for the industry as a whole.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Executive Editor of Previews and host of IGN’s weekly Xbox show. podcast unlockeda monthly (like) interview program, IGN UnfilteredHe’s from Northern Jersey, so it’s a “Taylor ham”, not a “pork roll”. Discuss with him at @DMC_Ryan on Twitter.
