Commissar SFLUFAN Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 After seven years of tumultuous development, Warner Bros. took a $200 million loss on the Rocksteady game. Quote David Haddad, the head of video games for Warner Bros. Discovery Inc., visited the London offices of subsidiary Rocksteady Studios in mid-February for an all-hands meeting. While previous gatherings with the executive had been peppered with tactful euphemisms, this time Haddad was blunt, according to two people briefed on his remarks. Weeks after its release, the studio’s latest game, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, was tanking. Haddad shared few details on the exact scope of the Suicide Squad misfire, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing nonpublic information. But it didn’t take long for them to find out the extent of the damage. On May 9, during an earnings call, Warner Bros. revealed that it was taking a $200 million loss on Suicide Squad — making it one of the gaming world’s worst blunders. Behind the scenes, according to interviews with nearly two dozen people who requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak to the press, the development of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was a tumultuous affair, plagued by countless delays. The game failed for a number of reasons, said the people, including a constantly shifting vision, a culture of rigid perfectionism and a genre pivot that was ill-suited for the studio. A spokesperson for Warner Bros. Games declined to comment. Quote During the early days, the studio kept its work on Suicide Squad a secret, even from potential hires. Several people who came on board during this era said they were surprised when they first arrived at the offices to learn that they would be working on a multiplayer game, not at all what Rocksteady was known for. Many would depart as a result. Over time, the leaders’ vision kept morphing, most notably switching from an emphasis on melee combat to heavily focusing on guns. The change left some staff members wondering why protagonists such as Captain Boomerang, known for fighting with his namesake weapon, would suddenly pivot to gunplay. Quote Staff members sometimes waited weeks or months for Hill, the studio’s perfectionist co-founder and director of the game, to review their work, said the people familiar, creating a bottleneck that further slowed development. He scrapped big chunks of the script and struggled to convey his evolving ideas, they said, confessing that he hadn’t spent much time with competing games such as Destiny. The constant delays hurt morale and led staff to fret that they were discarding too much and failing to make real progress. At one point, Hill pitched an elaborate system of vehicles that would allow players to deck out cars with weapons and navigate through the game’s alien-infested streets. But each of the four playable characters were already outfitted with modes of traveling, leading to more doubts among staffers. Why, they wondered, would players using Deadshot or King Shark bother with a motorcycle when they could just soar through the air? After months of experimentation and prototyping, the vehicle system was scrapped. Quote Multiple people who worked on the project say their growing concerns were often met with promises from management that Suicide Squad would eventually coalesce at the last minute, just as the Arkham games had. Several employees adopted the term “toxic positivity” to describe the culture of the company, which discouraged criticism. Leadership didn’t seem worried, they say, even as other traditionally single-player game studios that chased the live-service trend were delivering abysmal results with games such as Anthem (which earned a lowly score of 59 out of 100 on Metacritic), Marvel’s Avengers (67 out of 100) and Redfall (56 out of 100). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spork3245 Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser_Soze Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 1 hour ago, Spork3245 said: Have you started it yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Vic20 Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 Next story: Hey Turn10, you know how people say that Gran Turismo is a Car RPG? You folks are so great at making car games, so how would you like to make an RPG without cars?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spork3245 Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 36 minutes ago, Keyser_Soze said: Have you started it yet? I forgot to finish my purchase during the sale so I’ll just grab it on the summer sale for probably cheaper 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brick Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 4 hours ago, Spork3245 said: WTF is SBI influence? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser_Soze Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 Just now, Brick said: WTF is SBI influence? I think it refers to Sweet Baby, a diversity advisory firm or something like that. These freaks really like to rail against them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted June 7 Author Share Posted June 7 1 minute ago, Brick said: WTF is SBI influence? SBI = Sweet Baby Inc which is a DEI consulting firm that has become the latest bête noire for the usual suspects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dre801 Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 I think there's even a database/list somewhere that the anti-Woke crowd has compiled of games where SBI was consulted, so they know which games to avoid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stepee Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 1 hour ago, Dre801 said: I think there's even a database/list somewhere that the anti-Woke crowd has compiled of games where SBI was consulted, so they know which games to avoid. Steam Curator: Sweet Baby Inc detected STORE.STEAMPOWERED.COM A tracker to help consumers be aware of DEI content inserted into games. it’s all just a race to the bottom to be the dumbest mother fucker alive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skillzdadirecta Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 Ummm having played Suicide Squad, what exactly was "woke" about it? The game is offensive as hell especially to a lot of Justice League fans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stepee Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 1 minute ago, skillzdadirecta said: Ummm having played Suicide Squad, what exactly was "woke" about it? The game is offensive as hell especially to a lot of Justice League fans. shark positivity 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stepee Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 5 hours ago, Mr.Vic20 said: Next story: Hey Turn10, you know how people say that Gran Turismo is a Car RPG? You folks are so great at making car games, so how would you like to make an RPG without cars?! Isn’t this Playground Games with Fable :P 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbsolutSurgen Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 5 hours ago, Mr.Vic20 said: True story: Hey Playground Games, you know how people say that Gran Turismo is a Car RPG? You folks are so great at making car games, so how would you like to make an RPG without cars?! Minor edit for what MS is actually doing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Vic20 Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 Damn, named the wrong dev team… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kal-El814 Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 11 minutes ago, skillzdadirecta said: Ummm having played Suicide Squad, what exactly was "woke" about it? The game is offensive as hell especially to a lot of Justice League fans. Female playable character? Wonder Woman isn't alabaster white? What ISN'T woke about it? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy4000 Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 I don’t doubt that there’s sometimes bad ideas that are signed off on in this industry because they check the inclusivity box. Stuff like the Concord cast, which feels inspired by that Blizzard diversity template in the worst way. But even in these cases you can’t just blame a consulting company for that. It’s in the name. Consulting company. That Tales of Kenzera guy said it best recently. Let’s see more games representing different cultures. Not everything needs to be culturally Japanese or 90’s-era sexualized like these anti-woke warriors are partial to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwinIon Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 At least that article ends on a upbeat note, that Rocksteady is planning to return to their single player roots. It wouldn't have shocked me if a failure of this magnitude lead Zazlov to just shutter the studio, or if an investment of this size lead them to double down and hope an expansion could do for Suicide Squad what Shadowkeep did for a Destiny 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skillzdadirecta Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 19 minutes ago, crispy4000 said: Stuff like the Concord cast, which feels inspired by that Blizzard diversity template in the worst way. I'm not a fan of this game at all but most of the complaints I saw about it was that the game seemed like it was trying too hard to be Firefly meets Guardians of the Galaxy not the diversity of its cast but maybe I don't travel in those circles. Out of curiosity, why is the diversity in THIS game a problem? It's almost like any game that doesn't feature a homogenous cast of characters that are all the same race gets scrutinized as to whether or not people of color should even be in the game. It's amazing to me that "diversity" in a world of over six billion people has even become controversial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy4000 Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 37 minutes ago, skillzdadirecta said: I'm not a fan of this game at all but most of the complaints I saw about it was that the game seemed like it was trying too hard to be Firefly meets Guardians of the Galaxy not the diversity of its cast but maybe I don't travel in those circles. Out of curiosity, why is the diversity in THIS game a problem? It's almost like any game that doesn't feature a homogenous cast of characters that are all the same race gets scrutinized as to whether or not people of color should even be in the game. It's amazing to me that "diversity" in a world of over six billion people has even become controversial. Everything about the game seems too try hard and designed by committee. The diversity push mostly strikes me that way because it fits that narrative. Though there are the preferred pronouns in the character select screen. Why not just illustrate that in the cutscenes they’ll be rolling out? Feels like signaling otherwise. I probably wouldn’t even bat an eye if they had more of a unique look to the game in general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skillzdadirecta Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 2 minutes ago, crispy4000 said: Everything about the game seems too try hard and designed by committee. The diversity push mostly strikes me that way because it fits that narrative. Though there is the preferred pronouns in the character select screen. Why not just illustrate that in the cutscenes they’ll be rolling out? Feels like signaling. I probably wouldn’t even bat an eye if they had more of a unique look to the game in general. Interesting... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser_Soze Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 What's the diversity push in that game? They're all different aliens. I'm more with @skillzdadirecta here that it's more about being a poor mans GOTG than a diverse thing. But these folks try to justify "DEI" any way they can so that they can "dislike" a game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skillzdadirecta Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 1 minute ago, Keyser_Soze said: They're all different aliens. They're not all green aliens. Also, people of color don't belong in space... except for Lando and Jordi Laforge. They're cool. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser_Soze Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 4 minutes ago, skillzdadirecta said: They're not all green aliens. Also, people of color don't belong in space... except for Lando and Jordi Laforge. They're cool. Don't forget Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skillzdadirecta Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 If the Original Star Trek came out today with its international cast it would be dismissed as being "woke". Same thing as if The new Xmen came out today, replacing the all white teenagers of the original team with an ethinically diverse cast of characters from all around the world. We're going backwards. All of the anti-woke warriors can rejoice because Hollywood has completely shifted course when it comes to diversity initiatives with most studios getting rid of their diversity departments entirely. The status quo will be maintained and all will be well with the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy4000 Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 36 minutes ago, Keyser_Soze said: What's the diversity push in that game? They're all different aliens. 33 minutes ago, skillzdadirecta said: They're not all green aliens. Also, people of color don't belong in space... except for Lando and Jordi Laforge. They're cool. I was gonna say, some of them definitely look human. Not that I care about the lore enough to find out. Any fighting game or hero shooter with a non-male/light-skinned majority cast bucks the trend, and that’s a good thing. If only it was in a less generic package. Which really goes back to how needless and uninspired Concord feels in general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spork3245 Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 11 minutes ago, skillzdadirecta said: If the Original Star Trek came out today with its international cast it would be dismissed as being "woke". Same thing as if The new Xmen came out today, replacing the all white teenagers of the original team with an ethinically diverse cast of characters from all around the world. We're going backwards. All of the anti-woke warriors can rejoice because Hollywood has completely shifted course when it comes to diversity initiatives with most studios getting rid of their diversity departments entirely. The status quo will be maintained and all will be well with the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kal-El814 Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 17 minutes ago, skillzdadirecta said: If the Original Star Trek came out today with its international cast it would be dismissed as being "woke". Same thing as if The new Xmen came out today, replacing the all white teenagers of the original team with an ethinically diverse cast of characters from all around the world. We're going backwards. All of the anti-woke warriors can rejoice because Hollywood has completely shifted course when it comes to diversity initiatives with most studios getting rid of their diversity departments entirely. The status quo will be maintained and all will be well with the world. I have often looked into the near distance and contemplated the mass rectal prolapse that would happen with chuds o'er the land if the X-Men reboot came out today and the most powerful character was a black woman. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brick Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 9 hours ago, TwinIon said: hope an expansion could do for Suicide Squad what Shadowkeep did for a Destiny 2. Did you mean Forsaken? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwinIon Posted June 10 Share Posted June 10 On 6/7/2024 at 9:04 PM, Brick said: Did you mean Forsaken? Yeah, that’s the one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LazyPiranha Posted June 10 Share Posted June 10 Everyone asking what was so woke about suicide squad is missing the point. You’re trying to apply logical to something that has none. These are the same morons that got butthurt over Captain Marvel because Nick Fury cleans a dish. Is it woke to clean a dish? Do all non-woke alpha males throw their used dishes on the floor and not clean that up either until they find a woman to do it? They’re fucking morons. It’s not worth asking yourself what their point is because they don’t have one. They’re drawing picture of monsters under their bed and then getting scared by them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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