The backlash aimed at the live-service elements featured in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League forced Rocksteady into a near-year-long delay, but that's not stopping Warner Bros from investing heavily in the space. In the firm's latest earnings call, CEO David Zaslav explained the focus is to transform its console and PC titles "to include more always on gameplay through live services, multiplatform and free-to-play extensions, with the goal to have more players spending more time on more platforms".
Warner Bros currently has the likes of Mortal Kombat 1, Hogwarts Legacy, and the Batman and Game of Thrones IPs under its belt, all of which may receive this treatment in the coming years. While Mortal Kombat 1 is pretty much already a live-service title, it's surprising nothing has been done with Hogwarts Legacy since launch. Except for patches and general updates, no new content has followed.
Zaslav added: "Ultimately we want to drive engagement and monetisation of longer cycles and at higher levels. We are currently under scale and see significant opportunity to generate greater post purchase revenue."
Originally slated to release in May of this year, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was delayed to February 2024 after a now infamous State of Play presentation drew significant backlash. Off the back of its Batman: Arkham trilogy, Rocksteady leaned into live-service elements and gear scores. Those elements and mechanics are still expected when the game ships next year, but the studio said it's working on "the best quality experience for players".