Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Confirmed as Live-Service Game, Requires Online Connection

ByNews Polite

The first gameplay for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was revealed during Sony’s State of Play February livestream, confirming that it will be a live-service game focusing on single-player and co-op gameplay.

As the headline game of the showcase, developer Rocksteady Studios offered plenty of details on the story and tons of footage of the game in action. In the 15-minute segment, we got to see more details on the general framework of the game, which is an open-world action shooter that essentially blends Batman: Arkham Knight with the flow and action of the likes of Sunset Overdrive.

Playing as one of four members of the Suicide Squad — Deadshot, Harley Quinn, King Shark, and Captain Boomerang — the band of supervillains are tasked with stopping Brainiac’s invasion of Metropolis, now overrun by his minions and possessed members of the Justice League. In the extended showcase, we see the Squad confront a corrupted Flash, who quickly gets the upper hand on the Squad. Other members of the Justice League also pop up in the trailer, including Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and Batman.

The Arkhamverse returns

The extended gameplay shown during the State of Play gave us the most in-depth look at the game yet. Confirmed to be still set in Rocksteady’s “Arkhamverse,” roughly five years after Arkham Knight, the conceit of Suicide Squad sees that familiar universe from the side of the villains. That new perspective also brings in some new gameplay systems, which can be experienced in either single-player or co-op.

Each of the villains are highly mobile, able to grapple, fly, and even dash at high-speed across the city to fight confront enemies and unleash their different skills. Unlike the Batman games, gunplay is a big focus for combat, in addition to the close-range strikes. Each character can be decked out with different upgradeable weapons incorporating elements and details referencing other heroes and villains from the DC universe; such as Captain Boomerang’s speed-force gauntlet, allowing him to teleport across distances.

During the in-depth look, we also confirmed that earlier leaks showing an RPG-style gear system and live-service elements were accurate, with Rocksteady further confirming that it will require an online connection even when playing solo. As you play the game, you’ll gain loot and different armor for your chosen character, which can be upgraded to boost a villain’s power in the world zones. The developers also confirmed that a battle pass focusing on cosmetics will also be present, which will unlock classic variants of the characters and some other costumes that reference other heroes.

Suicide Squad releases May 26

First announced back in 2020, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is an extension of the “Arkhamverse” developed by Rocksteady. It will attempt to succeed where Marvel’s Avengers failed as a superhero-based live-action game while also picking up where Batman Arkham Knight left off.

Notably, Kill the Justice League is the last role by Batman: The Animated Series voice actor Kevin Conroy, who voiced Batman through various projects in the 90s and 2000s. Conroy died in 2022 at 66. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is slated to release on May 26 on PS5, Windows, and Xbox Series X|S.

You can find everything else announced during today’s State of Play right here.

Alessandro Fillari is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @afillari.