It’s no secret that Warner Bros. and Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League wasn’t the biggest hit of early 2024. Warner Bros. Discovery’s CEO David Zaslav considers it a disappointment that overshadowed WB’s first quarter.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO calls Suicide Squad ‘Disappointing’
As VGC reported, Zaslav addressed Warner Bros.’ gaming division during the company’s most recent financial presentation. While Hogwarts Legacy was a big success in 2023, Suicide Squad loses out in that comparison. “Unfortunately,” said Zaslav, “the studio’s Q1 financials were overshadowed by the tough [comparison] at Games, following the great performance of Hogwarts Legacy last year and the disappointing release of Suicide Squad in Q1 in our gaming group.”
Chief Financial Officer Gunnar Wiedenfels said something similar later in the presentation. He noted that the differences between the two games’ performance resulted in a “$200 million impact” on Warner Bros. first-quarter earnings.”
Suicide Squad’s underperformance isn’t exactly news. In February, Wiedenfels told investors that the live-service game “has fallen short of our expectations.” He also said that its performance was “setting our games business up for a tough year-over-year comp in Q1.” The launch of Kill the Justice League’s season 1 content doesn’t seem to have turned things around.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League sits at 60% on Metacritic, earning mediocre reviews from critics. Players were not impressed either, and there was a lot of anger from Batman: Arkham fans for how WB and Rocksteady handled that continuity. The game also earned criticism for its heavy use of live service elements.
