Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Contributed to $200 Million Lower EBITDA for WB

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was already known to be commercially unsuccessful, but it's now facing a truly humbling comparison with last year's Warner Bros. hit, Hogwarts Legacy.

In WB's Q1 2024 financial report, the mass media and entertainment conglomerate highlighted the massive difference between the two games, which were released in February 2023 and February 2024, respectively. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said:

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Unfortunately, the studio’s Q1 financials were overshadowed by the tough [comparison] at Games following the great performance of Hogwarts Legacy last year and the disappointing release of Suicide Squad in Q1 in our gaming group.

Later in the call, WBD Chief Financial Officer Gunnar Wiedenfels was more specific, revealing that the difference between the two triple-A releases led to a $200 million lower EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) for the group.

It would have been a tough comparison anyway, given that Hogwarts Legacy dominated global sales in 2023 despite strong competition, but Suicide Squad performed particularly badly. In our review of the game, Nate Birch wrote:

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has a sprinkling of that classic Rocksteady charm, delivering polished visuals, fluid traversal and combat, and some snappy repartee, but the whole experience is bogged down by dreary, repetitive mission design, empty live service elements, and a feel-bad story that’s mean-spirited to the point of feeling oddly resentful. Perhaps most damning, not even the thing promised in the game’s title – fighting and dispatching the Justice League – ends up being particularly fun or memorable. Those who really want to see what becomes of the Arkhamverse may not be able to resist picking this up, but I suggest waiting for a steep discount before subjecting yourself to this tedious team-up.

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