An extensive report from Bloomberg has pulled back the curtain on the troubled development of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, the high-profile live-service dud from Batman Arkham developer Rocksteady and publisher Warner Bros. Games.It was already clear the project had rocky road to launch thanks to multiple delays and the fact Warner Bros. revealed it has taken a $200 million loss on the multiplayer shooter.Now, the full extent of the chaos has been laid bare. Almost two dozen sources told Bloomberg the project was hamstrung by a fluctuating vision, a rigid culture of perfectionism, and a live-service genre switch that clashed with the sensibilities of Rocksteady—which had previously cut its cloth making single-player experiences.It details how Rocksteady leaders began to parrot…
Xbox president Sarah Bond claims Microsoft's decision to shutter key studios such as Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks is about ensuring the company's video game business is "healthy for the long term."Bond was addressing the closures during an interview at Bloomberg Live and described the decision to wind down major studios as "extraordinarily hard." In justifying the move, she claimed Microsoft has a "deep responsibility" to ensure its games, devices, and services can survive moments of transition within the game industry. "The news we announced earlier this week is an outcome of that," she said.Bond said the industry has been "flat" over the last year despite a lot of "tremendous releases" in 2023. "The growth di…
Medieval strategy title Manor Lords sold over 1 million copies within 24 hours of making its Steam Early Access debut. The title landed on Steam on April 26, 2024, and surpassed that milestone the very next day.Publisher Hooded Horse explained Manor Lords topped 170,000 concurrent players on Steam over the weekend, with SteamDB estimating it delivered a peak of 173,178 concurrent players.Manor Lords is strategy smorgasbord that features in-depth city building, economic and social simulations, and large-scale battles.Hooded Horse claims the game has become the most wishlisted project on Steam with over 3.2 million player wishlists, but recently told many of those eager players to consider waiting for the full release before diving in."Please, don't feel any pressure to buy the gam…