WB Games president David Haddad announced connected Rocksteady’s website contiguous that the video crippled developer’s co-founders, Sefton Hill and Jamie Walker, are leaving the workplace astatine the extremity of 2022. Rocksteady, which created the Batman: Arkham series, is acceptable to merchandise its anticipated pseudo-spin-off, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, successful 2023.
“With Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League astir finished, they person some decided to permission Rocksteady astatine the extremity of 2022 and volition statesman a caller escapade successful gaming,” Haddad writes successful the announcement. “We person the utmost respect and gratitude for Jamie and Sefton and privation them each the champion successful their caller endeavor, and similar galore fans, we look guardant to what they bash next.”
Haddad did not stock details of “what they bash next,” but Hill and Walker—who founded Rocksteady successful 2004—could good beryllium looking to bash it each implicit again. They were inactive an progressive portion of the studio, with Hill astir precocious acted arsenic Suicide Squad’s crippled director. Stepping up successful their spot are manager of accumulation Nathan Burlow, who Haddad calls an “original founding member,” promoted to workplace director, and Darius Sadeghian, who volition go workplace merchandise director.
“Nathan and Darius are highly talented executives and they are passionate astir continuing the high-quality crippled improvement of Rocksteady for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and each aboriginal games,” Haddad wrote.
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About their abrupt departure, Hill and Walker wrote successful the announcement that, “From the time we founded the institution successful 2004 each the mode to today, Rocksteady has been our beingness and soul. It has fixed america the accidental to bash what we emotion most: marque large games with exceptionally talented people.”
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Hill and Walker emphasized the assemblage astatine Rocksteady, saying that “there is thing other peculiar astir Rocksteady that goes beyond the games we make, and everyone who works present feels it.”
“We privation to convey the squad for their hard enactment and everything they bring to marque this specified a large spot to be,” the brace continued. “Now with Suicide Squad successful harmless hands, and the squad present stronger than ever, it’s clip to manus implicit the reins, and for america to commencement a caller escapade unneurotic successful games.”
Earlier this fall, Suicide Squad writer Kim MacAskill passed connected a beingness achievement grant from from nonprofit Women successful Games, saying that lawsuit sponsors Rocksteady and Warner Bros. Interactive request to “take accountability.”
“You tin propulsion your sanction connected each diverseness lawsuit going,” she said, “but unless you instrumentality accountability, it means thing and I spot you.”
In 2020, Rocksteady responded to a study by The Guardian detailing intersexual harassment successful its workplace, saying, “All ceremonial complaints were thoroughly investigated, addressed appropriately and a fig of superior measures were taken successful effect to the issues that were surfaced, including subject oregon termination of staff.”