Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League gameplay confirms fans' biggest fears
Rocksteady Studios has been cooking for a while, and although the studio is remembered for its lauded work on the three Arkham games, the jury is out on whether its next entry to the Arkhamverse will fly high like Superman or be resigned to the sewers with Killer Croc.
Instead of moving forward with the long-rumoured Arkham Knight sequel or those whispers of a Superman game, Rocksteady surprised us all when it announced Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League in 2020. It's safe to say the title has faced a troubled development, and following its latest reveal, there are still sceptics.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League still looks like a live service game
We got our first look at Kill the Justice League in February 2023, with it being slammed across the board. The PlayStation State of Play confirmed KTJL required an internet connection at all times and would have a cosmetic-only battle pass. There were hopes this would be overhauled, but now, our fears have been confirmed.
In the 20-minute gameplay video, we see live service elements are still very much in play for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Although these divisive features were conveniently glossed over in the video, the breakdown of the Standard and Deluxe Editions confirms they're still here.
The video reiterates that the $99.99/£99.99 Deluxe Edition includes "one premium battle pass token." Elsewhere, the $69.99/£69.99 Standard Edition will only have access to the free seasonal tiers of the battle pass and post-launch seasonal updates that include "earnable" characters, free missions, and free items.
Worse yet, the Premium Edition's cosmetics suggest that different colour options, weapon skins, and weapon dolls will milk the microtransaction cow even further. Rocksteady hopes for four years of post-launch support, but that depends on whether you're willing to stick around.
Fans slam Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's live service options
Click to enlargeThe comments section makes for some ugly reading, with outraged fans sharing their views. Namely, there are those lamenting how we've come from the highs of the Arkham games (including the underrated Arkham Knight) to this.
One raged, "I feel bad for all the layoffs this will potentially cause when it fails. The game actually looks decent so props to the devs, but whoever decided to make it a live service game is just rolling the dice." Another added, "These people heard the criticism and still aren't willing to act upon it."
A third said, "As a Rocksteady fan since 2009, seeing them make 3 near-perfect games back-to-back, then to go to a RPG shooter live service that looks destined to fail is actually kinda heartbreaking." Like it or lump it, we will have to get used to Kill the Justice League being what it is.
From what we've seen so far, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League actually looks like a pretty decent game. Rocksteady has repeatedly shown it can craft a compelling story with excellent character development, so it's a shame this title is set to be lost under a cloud of live service controversy.
