The Suicide Squad game is reportedly a live-service title, may face the same backlash as Marvel's Avengers

Rocksteady's upcoming DC superhero title, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, is set to be released on May 26, 2023. Developed by the creators of the Batman Arkham series, the title has excited many fans so far, even though details regarding it are scarce.

However, a recent leak has left the fanbase second-guessing the beloved studio and the upcoming title, as it suggests the game will follow a live-service model.

Square Enix's Marvel Avengers famously (or infamously) walked the superhero live-service path. It garnered massive backlash for prioritizing microtransaction-filled storefronts over providing a strong narrative-driven title.

With the leaked image of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League teasing a Battle Pass, an in-game store, and at least seven different currencies, it might be walking the same path as Marvel's Avengers.

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Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League leak suggests it will be a convoluted live-service title

With 2009's Batman Arkham Asylum, Rocksteady revolutionized the superhero video game genre. Not only was it followed by two amazing sequels and a spinoff (Arkham City, Arkham Knight, and Arkham Origins) but it inspired a future generation of superhero titles.

These include Marvel's Spider-Man and Marvel's Spider-Man Miles Morales, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel's Avengers, and last year's Gotham Knights.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is Rocksteady's upcoming title after nearly eight years of hiatus. Set to follow the titular group of anti-heroes including Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, King Shark, and Deadshot, the game will see the squad take on the Justice League. Set for a release date of May 26, 2023, Rocksteady has revealed very few gameplay details regarding the title so far.

A recent screenshot of the game's menu was leaked on 4chan, giving us a closer look at what to expect from the game. It featured the player as the lobby leader Captain Boomerang on PlayStation, joined by three bot players taking the role of the other members, confirming its co-op gameplay feature.

Furthermore, the left-side menu features options to select Chapters, Game Modes, Difficulty, and Matchmaking. Further, we see Chapter 3 is titled Worst Laid Plans, and comes with the objective of killing the Flash.

The top menu features options for Squad, Looks, Loadout, Talents, Social, Battle Pass, Store, Codex, and Options. This confirms a subscription service and in-game store, along with other social features that are included in most live-service titles. Just below the top menu, there are counters for what look like seven different currencies, possibly hinting at microtransactions' involvement.

Taking a live-service route like Marvel's Avengers is a bold decision indeed, considering how badly it turned the playbase against it. Following such a path does not immediately make it a bad title. In fact, games like Fortnite, Valorant, and Dota 2, along with many other similar titles, provide a great platform for players to keep returning to and be rewarded for it.

However, considering Rocksteady's past and the great Suicide Squad stories fans are familiar with from the comics, the expectation was understandably a narrative-driven experience. With the game walking the live-service route, it may not be the priority for this title.

Hopefully, Rocksteady can avoid the minefield of mistakes by Marvel's Avengers and provide not only a good live-service title but a great game with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.