Nearly two years ago, Warner Bros. revealed that Wonder Woman<\/a><\/span> would finally get to star in her own solo game, courtesy of developer Monolith Productions. Since then, there\u2019s been no mention of the title, and the only real piece of information about it would be that it\u2019s a single-player open-world game (groundbreaking<\/em><\/a><\/span>, <\/em>right?) and employ the procedurally generated Nemesis system of Monolith\u2019s Middle-earth: Shadow <\/em>series. Funnily enough, Rocksteady put out a developer video for Squad <\/em>earlier this week. For the most part, it was focused on highlighting the four members of the antihero team\u2014Deadshot, Harley Quinn, King Shark, and Captain Boomerang\u2014and how they\u2019re meant to do as the title says when the League is controlled by an invading Brainiac. The game\u2019s had a rough 2023; it was originally meant to come out this past spring, but its appearances at online showcases were widely derided due to the appearance of live-service staples like gear with slight number and status effect differences, an in-game store, and so on. For a studio best known for the single-player offerings of the Batman: Arkham <\/em>games, which Squad <\/em>is said to be a sequel to, this can\u2019t help but feel like a far cry from the studio\u2019s wheelhouse. And it doesn\u2019t help this game contains the final Batman performance<\/a><\/span> from the late Kevin Conroy, whose passing had its one-year anniversary just last week\u2014so if and when WB delists the game, Conroy\u2019s performance goes with it, preserved only by YouTube uploads.
But a recent job posting on Monolith\u2019s website called for a lead software engineer<\/a><\/span> with previous experience in live-service games: titles like Fortnite <\/em>or Destiny 2 <\/em>where the game doesn\u2019t end. Instead, the developers support it for years (or months) with new, often seasonal content and feature microtransactions. While it\u2019s often employed in multiplayer games like those mentioned above, there\u2019ve some single-player games that run on a similar model\u2014namely, modern Assassin\u2019s Creed <\/em>games like Odyssey <\/em>and Valhalla. <\/em>Many took the posting to mean Wonder Woman <\/em>would be a live-service game, but WB Games later told IGN<\/a><\/span> the title was \u201cnot being designed\u201d as such.
Why does this matter? Earlier in the month, WB Discovery head David Zaslav<\/a><\/span> said the company was aiming to turn its biggest franchise into live-service titles. NetherRealm\u2019s Mortal Kombat <\/em>and Injustice <\/em>franchises have functioned as such for years, to the frustration of those who play them. The live-service trend has hit a hard downturn<\/a><\/span> this year, with numerous online games<\/a><\/span> having their support ended and many getting delisted, and there\u2019s been a larger distaste for them overall. But WB thinks there\u2019s still opportunity to be had in this market: 2022's Gotham Knights<\/em><\/a><\/span> was a co-op game with live service elements, and is Rocksteady\u2019s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League<\/em><\/a><\/span> is looking like another of those as.<\/p>\n
Rocksteady delayed Suicide Squad <\/em>back in April, but the developer diary indicates the game remains a live service. One of the developers mentions the studio aims to support the game for years to come, and its deluxe edition<\/a><\/span> features a token for the in-game battle pass. All this puts the Wonder Woman <\/em>news in a different light, and whatever that game ends up being beyond the basics, it\u2019ll surely be talked about in relation to Suicide Squad <\/em>or other superhero games<\/a><\/span> waiting in the wings.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League <\/em>comes to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on February 2, 2024.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest <\/em>Marvel<\/em><\/a><\/span>, <\/em>Star Wars<\/a><\/span>, and Star Trek<\/a><\/span> releases, what\u2019s next for the <\/em>DC Universe on film and TV<\/em><\/a><\/span>, and everything you need to know about the future of <\/em>Doctor Who<\/a><\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n