Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Leak Reveals Battle Pass, Live Service Elements

A screenshot from the upcoming Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has leaked online, and it confirms the game features a battle pass system. The image, which was originally posted to 4Chan, was based on a recent test build and revealed menu elements that aligned with a live service title. VGC corroborated the information via an unnamed development source, who affirmed that while a battle pass is indeed planned for the upcoming Rocksteady Studios title, it will purely be focused on skins and other cosmetic items.

The leaked Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League start menu looks similar to Gotham Knights’ in terms of how the various options are positioned on the screen. The top features a row of selections, which includes the aforementioned battle pass, a store, a codex to keep track of in-depth lore, assignable talents and loadouts, and a squad selector. Since the game functions on a four-player co-op system, it would make sense for the Squad option to help switch/ pick between the four lead characters of Task Force X — Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and King Shark.

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But, underneath that row lies an icon which appears to be an in-game currency system. VGC’s source, however, denied that speculation, noting that it was simply XP earned by playing the game, which can further be dumped into skill trees to power up your characters. That said, they also assured that our band of volatile misfits won’t be underpowered, which generally implies less grinding for upgrades. “You don’t start off debuffed and weak,” the source told VGC. “You just start off great and can get ridiculous, like Arkham Knight’s Batman.”

For the uninitiated, Rocksteady Studios’ previous venture, Batman: Arkham Knight, was primarily based on freeflow combat and takedowns, which eventually spread out into special movesets unlocked via a skill tree. The idea was to encourage a more variety-driven playstyle, rather than having players button-mash their way through the game. The story could very well be completed regardless of whether you purchased those upgrades. Think of it as added flair that would also help ease the playthrough.

The left-hand side of the Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League menu features the missions you could undertake, ranging from the story mode, a chapter selection, a difficulty modifier, and a matchmaking tool, presumably meant to search for players to fill the lobby. While the developer hasn’t revealed much about the upcoming title, it confirmed previously that the game could be played in solo mode as well, with your squad members controlled by bots — as seen in the screenshot. The start menu also features a ‘Game Mode’ option, which could possibly contain missions dedicated to farming easy XP.

Going for a live service route akin to Marvel’s Avengers (2020) is a bold move, given how quickly the fanbase turned against it. Since this leak, fans haven’t been silent about their distaste for the included elements, which as mentioned before, align with a live-service model. Given Rocksteady Studios’ track record, players were expecting to see a strong narrative-driven experience based on Batman’s ethos, which simply adds some online functionalities for good measure. However, the leak seems to suggest otherwise.

Late last year, Rocksteady Studios’ co-founders and studio heads Sefton Hill and Jamie Walker left the company. “With Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League nearly finished, they have both decided to leave Rocksteady at the end of 2022 and will begin a new adventure in gaming,” a letter from David Haddad, President, WB Games stated at the time. “We have the utmost respect and gratitude for Jamie and Sefton and wish them all the best in their new endeavour, and like many fans, we look forward to what they do next.”

Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League is slated to release May 26, across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X. It will feature the legendary Kevin Conroy’s final voice-acting performance as Batman. Conroy, whose voice became synonymous with the Caped Crusader, sadly passed away in November, following a short battle with cancer.