The popular MultiVersus game will be permanently shut down

The popular Warner Bros. fighting game MultiVersus is permanently closing down, surprising its dedicated community. The game, which blended characters from various WB franchises in a style similar to Super Smash Bros., was first available in early access in 2022 before launching fully in May 2024 after a year-long hiatus. Players were able to control iconic figures such as Arya Stark, Batman, and LeBron James in intense online battles. 

The End of MultiVersus Is Here

After less than a year since its launch, MultVersus will be shutting down permanently. 

Development and support for the game will be discontinued, with the final update scheduled for May 30 at 9 a.m. ET. The game's developers have announced that the upcoming Season 5 will be the last content update for MultVersus.

"Season 5 will serve as the final update for 'MultiVersus,' beginning 2/4/25 and ending 5/30/25. After Season 5 ends, players will be able to enjoy the game offline for the forseeable future. Visit our blog post and FAQ for more details. Thank you for the support throughout this journey."

The game will still be accessible offline for those who have already downloaded it, but it will be removed from digital marketplaces after May 30. The MultiVersus development team acknowledged that the decision to discontinue the game was not an easy one, but did not provide any specific explanations for its closure.

The game director, Tony Huynh, shared a detailed message on his personal platform, expressing his great pride in the work accomplished by the Player First Games team. Huynh emphasized that the team's primary goal is to delight and serve the players throughout the development process. 

"To every IP holder thank you for entrusting us with your babies, we hope we made the characters true to themselves and felt authentic to your fans. I couldn’t be prouder of the work the PFG team did. Their endless creativity and passion never ceased to inspire and amaze me. And of course I wanted to thank every player who has ever played or supported 'MultiVersus.' Delighting and serving players is Player First Games objective."

The developer also apologized to fans for not being able to feature their preferred characters. Several characters from the game were leaked but never officially released. The team appears to be aware of these unreleased characters.

"I’m sorry if we couldn’t get to your favorite character. I do think Aquaman and Lola are really cool and I hope you all check them out. Character selection comes down to bunch of things including development time, listening to what the community wants, working with IP holders and approvals, if there is a cross-marketing opportunity available to support, and of course if the team is inspired to make the character. So a lot goes into to it."

Why Did MultiVersus Fail?

The game's monetization strategy, where additional fighters had to be purchased individually and cosmetic prices were high, is widely believed to have contributed to its failure and eventual shutdown. The game's player base remained relatively small, peaking at just over 13,000 concurrent players on Steam, which is low compared to the free-to-play fighting game Brawlhalla, which has consistently averaged 10,000 to 14,000 players. The unorthodox early access release of Multiversus in July 2022, despite initial positive reviews, may have also played a role in its player count issues.

Multiversus' early access version was taken offline in June 2023. It took nearly a year before the game's 1.0 release arrived in May 2024, but it never regained the same level of popularity as during its initial early access period. This was likely due to players moving on to other games, as well as complaints about the full-game release feeling slower, lacking promised cosmetics from the beta, and having underdeveloped new features. These issues became common among fans and remain unaddressed. In the end, the game lost momentum after its early access period and struggled to recapture its audience when it finally launched its full release, in the highly competitive games-as-a-service market.

Link Source:

https://thedirect.com/article/multiversus-game-shutting-down-why