Skull and Bones and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, two highly anticipated AAA games, have been under scrutiny for their performance in the live service gaming market. Recent data suggests that Skull and Bones may be facing more challenges compared to Suicide Squad.
Following its launch, Skull and Bones briefly entered the top 10 most played games on PlayStation but quickly dropped out. In contrast, Suicide Squad debuted at the number one spot on PlayStation and gradually declined in rankings. February sales data revealed that Suicide Squad ranked third in sales, trailing behind Helldivers 2 and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, while Skull and Bones lagged behind even Grand Theft Auto, securing the eighth position.
On Xbox, Skull and Bones currently ranks as the 47th most-played game, indicating a significant decline shortly after its release. Although specific PC player numbers for Skull and Bones are undisclosed, Suicide Squad has struggled on the platform with fewer than 500 concurrent players on some days.
The underperformance of Skull and Bones can be attributed to several factors. The game, positioned as a live service pirate experience, failed to resonate with players who were uninterested in a ship-focused gameplay rather than a traditional pirate role. Critics also gave Skull and Bones a mediocre score of 60 on Metacritic, mirroring the reception received by Suicide Squad.
Despite both games facing challenges, Suicide Squad appears to be faring better than Skull and Bones. While neither game has achieved significant success, Suicide Squad's relatively stronger performance in sales and user ratings suggests a more favorable reception compared to Skull and Bones.
In conclusion, the lackluster performance of Skull and Bones can be attributed to its mismatched concept with player expectations and the oversaturated live service gaming market. As both games navigate their post-launch phases, it remains to be seen how they will address these challenges and potentially improve their standing in the gaming industry.
