After revealing that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League fell short of expectations, Warner Bros. Discovery announced $200 million impact on revenue due to the game’s failure. The company suffered an impairment charge, with studio revenue dropping by 12 percent year over year to $2.8 billion, per its Q1 2024 results.
In a post-earnings investor call, CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels revealed (transcription via IGN), “The $400 million+ year-over-year decline during 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 (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) during the first quarter.”
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League launched in February after several delays, facing criticism for its live service looter shooter approach. Upon release, it faced mixed reviews from critics (check out our impressions), peaking at a little over 13,000 concurrent players on Steam. Its player numbers have only fallen since then, even with the launch of Season of the Joker: Episode 1.
Rocksteady Studios has been working on fixes and changes, with Episode 2 reworking Infamy Sets and how players obtain the same. With rumors indicating that the game’s fifth season could be it’s last, one has to wonder if WB Games will end support prematurely. Stay tuned in the meantime for updates.