Upcoming video game
2023 video game
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is an upcoming action-adventure game developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. It is set to be released in early 2023 for Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. It is the fifth main game in the Batman: Arkham series and the first not to feature Batman as the main protagonist. The game revolves around the titular team of super-criminals, who are assembled by Amanda Waller and sent to Metropolis to stop the alien invader Brainiac and kill the members of the Justice League who have been brainwashed by him.
Gameplay
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is a genre-bending action-adventure game[2] set in an open world based on Metropolis.[3] The game features four playable characters: Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and King Shark.[4] While it can be played solo, the game also features a four-player cooperative multiplayer mode. When played solo, players can switch between characters at will, while the other characters are controlled by the AI.[5][6]
Premise
The game is set in the universe previously established by the Batman: Arkham series, taking place sometime after the events of Batman: Arkham Knight.[7] Amanda Waller creates a task force known as the Suicide Squad, which is composed of Arkham Asylum inmates Harley Quinn Captain Boomerang, Deadshot and King Shark for a covert mission in Metropolis.[8] Only when they arrive in the city do they realize the severity of the situation: Brainiac has invaded Earth and has started brainwashing its inhabitants, including the Justice League members Superman,[9] The Flash and Green Lantern,[10] with Wonder Woman as the only apparent member who is not under Brainiac's control.[11] Unable to depend on any hero for help, it is up to the Suicide Squad to save the world by assassinating the Justice League and stopping Brainiac.[12]
Development
A video game based on the Suicide Squad was first announced by then DC Comics chief creative officer Geoff Johns in July 2010.[13] In February 2012, he elaborated that the game was in development, adding that "Because of the concept, you have a game where any of the lead characters can conceivably die and it's not a stunt. Some really cool story could come out of that."[14] The formation of the Suicide Squad was teased at the end of Batman: Arkham Origins in 2013 – developed by WB Games Montreal – which featured a post-credits scene in which Deathstroke is asked by Amanda Waller to join the team, and in Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, in which Deadshot and Bronze Tiger join the team with Bane under consideration.[15][16] In the years since Batman: Arkham Knight was released, there have been rumours suggesting that WB Games Montreal was working on a Suicide Squad game, but no official announcement was made from the development team or publisher.[17] In December 2016, Jason Schreier from Kotaku revealed that the title was cancelled.[18]
Rocksteady Studios announced Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League in August 2020.[19] Rocksteady, the creator of the Batman: Arkham franchise, was initially rumored to be working on a Superman-themed game, which they later debunked.[20] The first trailer for the game premiered at DC FanDome on August 22, 2020. As the game is set in the "Arkhamverse", plot threads established in the Batman: Arkham series would continue in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.[21] The Los Angeles-based company Unbroken Studios are assisting Rocksteady in the developing of the game.[22] On March 23, 2022, Rocksteady announced that the title had been delayed from its initial 2022 launch window to early 2023.[23]
Release
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is set to be released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S in the first or second quarter of 2023.[24][25]
