Rocksteady is planning to release new seasons of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League with free content themed around a different DC character, each incorporating "alternate realities" in the form of Elseworlds.
Season 1 starts in March with an alternate version of The Joker from Elseworlds in a decidedly different take on the character from Rocksteady's earlier Arkham series of Batman games. The new and free playable character will feature a rocket-powered umbrella which he can use to "frantically launch himself through the air and surf across city rooftops."
The use of an umbrella is kind of interesting, considering trick umbrellas are the signature weapon of Batman's other arch enemy, the Penguin.
Stylistically, says Rocksteady is aiming for a Joker that returns to his "Vaudeville roots," and that's reflected in his visual design and gameplay animations. Rocket-powered umbrella aside, Joker's gameplay is undoubtedly theatrical, utilizing weapons that explode on impact and acrobatic movements to take down enemies in spectacular fashion.
In addition to this new Joker, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Season 1 will add a new map based on the Clown Prince of Crime as well as two "episodes" with new missions, activities, and strongholds, new boss fights and enemy variants, new DC villain-themed weapons and gear, and new Riddler content.
All in all, Seasons 2 through 4 will add three new playable characters, three new playable environments, new weapons, themed gear sets, activities, mid-season updates, and more. And did I mention it's all free? Because Rocksteady very much wants you to know that.
"The seasonal content gets automatically dropped into the game each episode," said studio director Darius Sadeghian. "There's no playable content locked behind a battle pass, and the in-game shop is for cosmetics only." In what Sadeghian called a "totally player friendly approach" to post-launch releases, all seasonal content is permanent and won't be deleted when a new season arrives.
Rocksteady has made clear from the first gameplay reveal that major Suicide Squad content would be free, but the extra emphasis on that free content is likely a reaction to ongoing criticism around the game's live-service format. A couple of weeks back, studio product director Darius Sadeghian shrugged off the live-service complaints by saying Rocksteady doesn't "think of our game as fitting with any particular label."
We called the multiplayer action shooter fast, ferocious, and totally unhinged (in a good way) in our Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League hands-on preview.
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