We’ve all seen many failed game launches, and for the most part, the disaster begins after the launch. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Rocksteady Studios, which appears to be undermining its own efforts to make Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League a success when it releases later this week.
Piling on its own list of controversial decisions, Rocksteady Studios has once again stirred the pot of gamer discontent by incorporating Denuvo DRM into Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (thanks to PCGamesN).
As expected, the inclusion of this anti-tamper tech on its Steam page has raised more than a few eyebrows and perhaps even convinced the entire gaming community not to bother buying the game on day one, considering the disdain for such restrictive measures.
Denuvo, a name that needs no introduction for PC gamers, has a rather infamous reputation for throttling game performance, a spectre that’s haunted titles like Sonic Mania, Resident Evil: Village, and Tekken 7 in the past. Despite its intended role as a defense against piracy, Denuvo often finds itself in the crosshairs for the performance penalties it seemingly imposes on games under its watch.
Adding fuel to the fire, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is poised to launch as an always-online title, which somehow renders Denuvo useless since its main job description is to perform periodic online check-ins. For any always-online title, the game’s content is tied to the publisher’s servers, with every interaction requiring an online connection.
This setup allows publishers to authenticate each player’s account within their system, effectively negating the need for DRMs like Denuvo. The only reason that would explain the need for a DRM is if the game’s server-side authentication is bogus and the DRM is being used as a stopgap to cover deeper systemic vulnerabilities. Cue gasps.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t remind you that Warner Bros. has not distributed any review copies of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Early access kicked off yesterday, and obviously, anyone who had pre-ordered the game was expecting the internet to be flooded with reviews and hot takes by now.
An angle that has been used to explain away this unfolding hot mess is the technical nature of the game itself. Being an always-online co-op title, the servers are not set to go live until the official release, which means no reviews until then. Essentially, reviewers and players alike will start their Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League playthrough simultaneously.
Since I know better, I’m almost certain Warner Bros. is treading cautiously given the game’s recent reception, especially after several major outlets expressed concerns following a preview event. The mere fact that Rocksteady Studios had to employ damage control tactics, including lifting the Alpha NDA to showcase more positive player feedback, says everything about this game.
Always-online, review embargo, and Denuvo: now that Rocksteady Studios has achieved the ‘launch-disaster trifecta,’ it’s nearly impossible to envision a scenario where Kill the Justice League becomes a commercial success, let alone a critical one. Maybe Warner Bros. is intentionally torpedoing the upcoming game (despite rumors of a Joker DLC), and we’re just oblivious to it? Only time will tell.
