The summary of ‘Making Suicide Squad A Live Service Was Rocksteady's Decision – Luke Reacts’

The video discusses Rocksteady's decision to make Suicide Squad a live service game for financial gain, despite player criticism for its grindy and repetitive nature. Co-founders Sefton Hill and Jamie Walker leaving Rocksteady raised questions about the game's direction. The disappointing release led to financial losses for Warner Brothers Discovery, affecting profits. Criticisms included unclear messaging, lack of endgame content, and a disappointing narrative. The game's failure to deliver as both a single-player and live service game has led to declining player numbers and doubts about its future viability.

00:00:00

In this segment of the video, it is discussed that Rocksteady decided to make Suicide Squad a live service game, contrary to popular belief that they were forced to by Warner Brothers. Rocksteady wanted to venture into the live service game genre likely for financial benefits such as higher revenue and better bonuses. However, the live service model received much criticism as players found the game grindy with only about 2.5 hours of content and repetitive missions, leading to low review scores at launch. Major concerns revolved around the lack of meaningful endgame content typical of successful live service games like Monster Hunter.

00:03:00

In this segment of the video, it is discussed that despite some blaming Warner Brothers for the shift in direction for the Suicide Squad game, it was actually Rocksteady’s leadership who decided to turn it into a live service game. Co-founders Sefton Hill and Jamie Walker left the studio in late 2022 during full development of the game, leading to speculation about their motives. The newly founded studio by Hill and Walker has attracted former Rocksteady employees, hinting at a potential focus on live service games. The Suicide Squad game, set in the Batman Arkham Universe, received criticism for its live service model and battle pass system, failing to meet player expectations. Warner Brothers acknowledged the game’s disappointing release during an earnings call.

00:06:00

In this segment of the video, it is discussed that the game’s lackluster performance had a significant impact on Warner Brothers Discovery’s profits, potentially resulting in losses of hundreds of millions of dollars. The game faced challenges due to a prolonged marketing cycle, unclear messaging about its nature as a live service game, and minimal storytelling despite heavy cutscenes. It failed to deliver as a single-player and live service game, lacking substantial content even after the Season One update. The disappointment was widespread, and player numbers likely reflect the game’s shortcomings.

00:09:00

In this segment of the video, the speaker discusses the declining player numbers of a game that failed to deliver sufficient content for a live service game. The narrative of the game was criticized, citing instances like characters disrespecting corpses. The speaker doubts the game’s ability to recover, predicting possible termination of support by the end of the year. The lackluster final boss fight and delays in updates further fuel skepticism about the game’s future.