Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League director Axel Rydby has shared some insights on the live-service game that doomed a franchise. It’s hard to believe that, given the overall successes seen with the Arkham franchise, things could’ve gone as poorly as they did for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, but that title went on to be one of the biggest flops of the last decade. Its release proved once again that while a boardroom of execs might see dollar signs when moving an established single-player franchise into a multiplayer live-service format, it doesn’t mean a money-driven process is the way to go. Rydby is one of four directors for the game and had something to say about this very idea (via Bloomberg) as the game saw delay after delay until it finally launched in 2024.
“That’s when I started feeling like I wasn’t making games anymore,” Rydby shared. “I was following a spreadsheet, some elusive marketing-analysis spreadsheet that no one could present clearly. I kind of felt like this isn’t the gaming industry I wanted to work in.”
– Axel Rydby, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League director
Warner Bros/DC wasn’t the only one to fail to realize a live-service version of its IP. Marvel had a similar experience with its Marvel’s Avengers, which featured a seemingly unfathomable amount of in-game purchases pinned to a thin story. While it managed to slightly outlast Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League before it too was shut down, the writing was already on the wall when Rocksteady Studios was developing DC’s game, which had been intended as a successor to the Arkham series. However, it’s well known that when a game’s development experiences delays, costs skyrocket, and investors will often seek ways to recoup by making changes or forcing features that don’t always align with making a game that will attract paying players.
Online gaming has somewhat seen a resurgence in 2025 and 2026 with the release of Helldivers 2 and Arc Raiders but still remains a risky venture. It’s hard to say if those in a boardroom who are considering hundreds of millions in investment for the epitome of another shoehorned fan-favorite IP are really tapped into what draws online players, and moreso what entices them to keep making ingame purchases, but one is thing for sure, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League managed to kill a franchise.