Rocksteady co-founders and studio heads Sefton Hill and Jamie Walker have announced that they're leaving the company prior to next year's Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League release. Both developers will continue working in the industry.
Shared on the studio's Twitter page, the official statement reads: "We wanted you, the Rocksteady fans, to hear it first; we have decided to leave Rocksteady... From the day we founded the company all the way to today, Rocksteady has been our life & soul." On the company's website, it was revealed that Jamie Walker and Sefton Hill will "begin a new adventure in gaming" with no additional details as of now. It is possible the creators will form a new studio in the future to work on something with a smaller scope, or not related to the DC characters like almost all of their previous projects were.
"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," Walker and Hill said.
​​​​Following their departure, director of production Nathan Burlow will be stepping up into the position of studio director, while senior producer Darius Sadeghian will be serving as studio product director. As the new leads pointed out, their goal is "to support [...] talented, hardworking team, retaining the heart and amazing culture of the studio," and to build upon the success with the future games, "delivering innovative and world-class game experiences."
The team has also provided some minor updates on its upcoming release, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, currently scheduled for launch in early 2023. According to this update, the project is "nearly finished" now, meaning it's unlikely to be delayed once again.