Suicide Squad dev is reportedly working on a Director’s Cut for Hogwarts Legacy

By Tomas Franzese Published June 6, 2024

Joker in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. — WB Games

Rocksteady Studios is reportedly now working on a Director’s Cut for Hogwarts Legacy following the tumultuous development and launch of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

A Bloomberg report detailing Suicide Squad’s rocky development Thursday morning explained that Rocksteady pivoted from a multiplayer puzzle-solving game to working on Suicide Squad following the success of the 2016 movie. Rocksteady leadership ultimately agreed with WB management’s request to make the game a live service title, but the historically single-player studio struggled to make that jump. The game also went through some massive changes during development, such as gameplay going from being melee-focused to gun-focused and a vehicle customization system being scrapped.

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Management reportedly hoped that this would all coalesce into something good toward the end of development, but that didn’t happen. Instead, Suicide Squad launched in February to poor reviews; I gave it two-and-a-half stars and said it “constantly finds ways to stop players from enjoying this bombastic cooperative shooter.” The game was ultimately a massive flop for WB Games, although management reportedly told Rocksteady’s developers in February that layoffs wouldn’t make sense because WB is understaffed compared to other video game publishers.

Student holding a wailing mandrakes in Hogwarts Legacy. — WB Games

As for what Rocksteady will do next, the report concludes by saying that it’s now assisting with the development of a director’s cut for Hogwarts Legacy, 2023’s popular Harry Potter video game that was a massive success for WB. It’s also hoping to pitch a new single-player game project. When asked about what players should expect from long-term live service support for Suicide Squad, reporter Jason Schreier said the following on X (formerly Twitter): “Some bare-bones support, definitely not as much as they’d originally planned.”

If you do want to try Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League for yourself, it’s available across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.

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Gaming Staff Writer

As a Gaming Staff Writer at Digital Trends, Tomas Franzese reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

Gaming

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s biggest villain is its own legacy

Harley Quinn lays down while speaking to Amanda Waller in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's reveal trailer

Frank Miller set the standards for most modern Batman stories with The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One in the 1980s. That same legendary creator thoroughly disappointed with All-Star Batman & Robin in the 2000s due to subpar writing and odd character moments. The latter might have been less infamous if the Batman stories that came before from Miller weren't so influential, but that's not the universe we're living in. Modern comic book universes like DC and Marvel have a problem dealing with their own legacy. With so many decades of iconic characters and stories, it can be tough not to introduce new people to the universe but to live up to the high mark of older books. That makes it harder for great new stories to stand out and exacerbates criticism of newer works.

With Rocksteady Studios' Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, that problem has finally hit comic book video games. I've spent over eight hours with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League so far in both single-player and multiplayer after receiving code the day after its early access launch. My time with the game has yielded mixed results. It's not an absolute disaster like Redfall of The Day Before, but it's disappointing in the context of Rocksteady's legacy.

Gaming

Which character should you pick in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League?

Deadshot, Harley Quinn, King Shark, and Captain Boomerang in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

Each playable member in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is its own distinct character. Beyond the obvious visual differences, there's a good amount of mechanical differences that make playing as Harley a unique experience compared to King Shark, for example. If you're playing alone or with friends, you probably will want to focus on just one member of the team to learn and go through the story with first. Since these "heroes" aren't all that common, especially in the world of video games, it isn't immediately obvious what type of character each one will play like. Between unique traversal methods and skill trees to ultimate attacks, here's a breakdown of which character you should pick.
Best character to play as in Suicide Squad

No one member of the squad is objectively the best, but rather, each one excels in different methods of combat. While you can switch between characters easily, it is best to know what role each one is best suited for and what to expect jumping into their shoes.
Harley Quinn
Harley is the easiest to understand if you're coming from the past Rocksteady Arkham games. She uses a grappling hook to traverse, which can be a little awkward to get a feel for at first, but she is your most well-rounded character. She uses pistols and SMGs in conjunction with melee attacks and explosives. If you want to play an aggressive, slightly spongy character, Harley is all about getting into the thick of combat. Her ability to regen health for kills pushes you to constantly be on the offensive.
Captain Boomerang
Using his teleporting boomerang to control the flow of battle, Captain Boomerang is perfect for flanking. You will want to play a mix of long and short-range with him, thanks to his use of both a sniper and shotgun. You will be rewarded for hit-and-run tactics here, making ample use of your boomerang's ability to get you out of danger before enemies know you were there. Once you get into the flow with him, you will turn the battlefield into your personal playground.
King Shark
King Shark is the most obvious when it comes to understanding his style. The big, bulky shark-man simply charges up massive jumps to get around, and his fishy skin can take a ton of abuse. You will be tanking hits as you either rush in to deal powerful melee attacks or shrugging off shots as you shred enemies with your heavy weapons and assault rifles. If you're not too confident about being able to dodge and zip around during a fight, go with the king.
Deadshot
Also, to be expected, Deadshot is a very easy character for people who cut their teeth on third-person shooters. He can use pistols, assault rifles, and snipers, so you are always prepared, and none of his abilities are terribly confusing or require a lot of thought to use. His jetpack makes him a perfect support character who can pelt enemies from above or afar without getting into danger. Just remember to watch that fuel gauge.

Gaming

Can you play Suicide Squad offline?

Captain boomerang and king shark high fiving.

There's no guarantee anymore that even a game that lets you play by yourself, like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, won't still require you to be connected to the internet. This title, in particular, has been rather confusing in this regard thanks to a heavy push on live service elements and being such a co-op-focused game. However, you are at least free to play alone with bots if you don't want to team up with other people, but can you do so without being online? Here's the breakdown.
Can you play Suicide Squad offline?

The answer is a little complicated, but it is a clear no for right now. At launch, you cannot play Suicide Squad without having a connection to the internet, regardless of whether or not you're playing solo. If you lose internet connection while playing, you will be given an error message and booted out of the game.