Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, the new third-person action shooter from Batman: Arkham developer Rocksteady Studios, is officially a failure—or, at least, in the monetary sense—according to David Zaslav, President and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, having shared a bit about the performance of the game in his latest earnings call with investors. Zaslav described the game, which costs $69.99, as being “disappointing,” explaining how the title starring Harley Quinn, King Shark, and other members of the DC antihero/supervillain team resulted in a $200 million impact to EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) for his company’s first quarter.
Zaslav (and Gunnar Wiedenfels, CFO) said:
- “Unfortunately the studios Q1 financials were overshadowed by the tough comp at games following the great performance of Hogwarts Legacy last year and the disappointing release of Suicide Squad in Q1 in our gaming group.”
- “Starting with Studios, the $400 million plus year-over-year decline in Q1 was primarily due to the very tough comp we faced in games against the success of Hogwarts Legacy last year in the first quarter, in conjunction with the disappointing Suicide Squad release this past quarter, which we impaired, leading to a $200 million impact to EBITDA during the first quarter.”
- “This overshadowed an otherwise very bright spot from the contributions of recently released theatrical films, where we have had excellent traction to start the year.”
A look at the Joker, who is currently available as part of the game’s first season:
Game description:
Join the newly “recruited” members of Amanda Waller’s infamous Task Force X (aka the Suicide Squad), Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang and King Shark, as they set out on an impossible mission to Kill the Justice League. Drop into an expansive and dynamic open-world Metropolis ravaged by Brainiac’s invasion and terrorized by the heroes who once protected it.