WB Games head David Haddad has announced the departure of Rocksteady Studios co-founders and studio heads Sefton Hill and Jamie Walker. Despite this, Haddad assures fans of the studios’ work that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is “nearly finished” with its early 2023 release target and that senior staff within the studio will step up to lead the company as whole.
Hill and Walker founded Rocksteady Studios in 2004, with their breakout success being Batman: Arkham Asylum, a hugely influential super hero game that was followed by two sequels by the same team – Arkham City and Arkham Knight. However, since Arkham Knight’s release in 2015 and a diversion to create Batman: Arkham VR in 2016, the studio has been at work on Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
The game had long been rumoured – sometimes as a Superman game – before it was eventually announced in 2020 for a 2022 release. That slipped back to early 2023, and it sounds like WB Games is hoping for this timeframe to stick.
After around 15 years working on Batman and DC universe games, and with Suicide Squad having now been a 7 year project, it makes sense that Hill and Walker would be seeking fresh pastures.
Stepping in to take the reights as Studio Director will be Nathan Burlow, current Director of Production and an original founding member of the studio, and Darius Sadeghian will become Studio Product Director.
Here is Haddad’s statement in full:
I have some important news to share with you about Rocksteady Studios. Co-founders and studio heads Sefton Hill and Jamie Walker have made the decision to leave the studio. We are very proud to have worked alongside Jamie and Sefton, who have led their talented teams to create some of the best games in the world. From the critically acclaimed hit Batman Arkham franchise to their evolutionary thinking with Suicide Squad, they have been great leaders of the team. Visiting Rocksteady Studios has always been a highlight for me personally – the attention to detail, the energy of the people and a sense of what it is like to be in a high performing studio. They have committed to the highest quality and excellence across all facets of game development while ensuring an outstanding culture of caring for their employees. 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. 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.
Hill and Walker opened their farewell statement, saying:
Our decision to leave Rocksteady was emotional to say the least! From the day we founded the company in 2004 all the way to today, Rocksteady has been our life and soul. It has given us the opportunity to do what we love most: make great games with exceptionally talented people. We are so proud of the team here for the games we have all made together, from our first game Urban Chaos, to the much-loved Arkham series, and now the epic Suicide Squad.
Source: Rocksteady