The demanding development cycle and public failure of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League nearly drove key figures away from the games industry altogether. Axel Rydby, the game's co-director, and Johnny Armstrong, associate design director, both detailed their experiences and subsequent disillusionment in a recent interview.
Rydby joined Rocksteady in 2018, initially finding promise in the live-service Suicide Squad project, a departure from the studio's previous work. Despite assurances from Warner Bros. executives regarding potential revenue, there was an initial studio agreement to create a game that did not feel predatory. However, as the game faced multiple delays, the focus shifted towards recouping the budget and increasing replayability.
"That’s when I started feeling like I wasn’t making games anymore," Rydby stated. "I was following a spreadsheet, some elusive marketing-analysis spreadsheet that no one could present clearly. I kind of felt like this isn’t the gaming industry I wanted to work in."
Following the game's release, which was met with critical and commercial disappointment, both Rydby and Armstrong felt profoundly affected. Armstrong described the period after Warner Bros. moved on from Suicide Squad as one where "everything drained from me." He recalled thinking, "I can't do this again. I don’t know if I’m done with the industry, but I’m done.' I could feel myself coming apart at the seams."
Despite this difficult period, the two developers reconnected and have since embarked on a new project together. They are currently running a Kickstarter campaign for their new game, Secret of Circadia, a city-builder/deckbuilder/roguelite that explores themes of AI and nature's reclamation. The project aims to offer a fresh start for the duo, moving away from the pressures that nearly led them to abandon game development.