‘Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’ delayed after negative fan reaction

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has reportedly been delayed as a result of negative responses by both fans and critics to the release of new gameplay footage.

The game was scheduled to be released on 26 May, but reports suggest that the new release window will be “later this year”, with other comments indicating that it may now receive a release in 2024.

Footage shown last month depicted the game’s core cast – Harley Quinn, King Shark, Captain Boomerang and Deadshot – battling Brainiac’s forces and brainwashed members of the Justice League in a ruined Metropolis.

After this reveal, there was negative reaction to a number of revelations about Kill the Justice League in a Rocksteady FAQ, including a requirement that players must always be online to be able to even play the game, even in single-player mode.

Its status as a live-service looter shooter has received backlash for not being the style of game that many fans expected, given that the game is a canonical follow-up to Rocksteady’s Arkham Knight. The confirmation that the game will feature “cosmetic items available for optional in-game purchase” also attracted negative press.

According to a Bloomberg report, which cites a person with direct knowledge of the reasons for the delay, there is not a direct connection to the fan backlash.

Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier suggested on Twitter that the reported delay is likely “mainly for polish”, and that it is unlikely to lead to the overhauling of any core gameplay.

It is also possible, given the negative fan response, that Warner Bros. wanted to move the game out of the crowded May/June release window, where it would have battled The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Diablo 4 and Final Fantasy 16.

This is not the first time that Kill the Justice League has been pushed back since its reveal in August 2020. Rocksteady’s game was scheduled to release last year, but in early 2022, it was delayed until spring 2023. Warner Bros. said at the time that this decision was to make “the best game we can”.