Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was recently delayed into 2023, and while the decision may come as a disappointment for DC fans, the delay may end up proving beneficial to Gotham Knights as well. The decision to delay the Suicide Squad game into 2023 should help ensure that it lives up to fan expectations. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic many video games have released in buggy and unfinished conditions, due in part to the increased development challenges and tight industry deadlines. This has led to many highly anticipated games, such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Battlefield 2042, being seen as disappointments upon release.
While Rocksteady has a history of releasing well-received and highly polished games, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will be the first game they've released since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the extra time is likely needed to polish the game. However, news of delay has left many fans wondering if Gotham Knights might be delayed after Suicide Squad as well. However, despite similarities between the two games, Gotham Knights is being developed by a different studio, WB Games Montréal. Although both studios have worked on Batman: Arkham games in the past (with WB Games Montréal having developed Batman: Arkham Origins), there has been no indication from either WB Games Montréal or the game's publisher, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, that Gotham Knights will also see a delay.
2023 may seem like a long way away for many fans that were hoping to get their hands on Rocksteady's latest title this year, but in terms of game development, an extra year (or potentially less, depending on when it releases) is not a lot of time to polish a AAA title. Many fans have been hoping to see Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad succeed where Marvel's Avengers failed, delivering a co-op superhero brawler that not only tells a great story and delivers on excellent co-op action, but is also free from game-breaking bugs and various technical issues that bog the experience down. Many gamers and reviewers felt Marvel's Avengers needed more time in development to iron out these issues, and that extra time could really help Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League to avoid the mistakes made by Marvel's co-op live-service title.
How Suicide Squad's Delay Could Benefit Gotham Knights
There are many benefits to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's delay, but there may also be a surprising benefit to Gotham Knights as well. Originally, both games were slated to release as part of DC's video game lineup in 2022, likely only a few months apart. While not the only DC games releasing in 2022, Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad are the most similar in style, and it's possible that one game might have overshadowed the other. While there are some big differences between Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad, both in art style and gameplay (Suicide Squad looks to be more of a frantic shooter while Gotham Knights looks like a more traditional co-op game), it is likely that comparisons will be drawn between the two games. Spacing out the release dates could give each game room to breathe and stand on its own merit.
Since Suicide Squad is set in Batman: Arkham's universe and is actually continuing the story of some characters from those games, it has the potential to overshadow Gotham Knights, which despite some Batman: Arkham influences, is its own IP and is set in a different universe from the Arkhamverse. Hopefully, assuming that Gotham Knights is still on track for a 2022 release, it will have time to resonate with fans and develop its own following, prior to the release of Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League.