Year In Review—MultiVersus Had it All And Threw it Away

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As a seasoned gamer, I can’t help but look back at MultiVersus with a tinge of nostalgia and a dash of disappointment. The open beta was like a dream come true for a kid who grew up watching Looney Tunes and DC Comics. The thought of Bugs Bunny and Superman in the same arena was just mind-boggling, and I eagerly sunk countless hours into it.

However, the journey from the open beta to the full release feels like a rollercoaster ride that went horribly wrong. The initial excitement quickly turned sour with the launch of the full game, marred by predatory microtransactions, lack of content, and a paywall for existing content. It was as if the developers and publishers had taken all the lessons from the open beta and thrown them out the window.

I remember the day MultiVersus launched with a sense of anticipation, hoping it would live up to its potential. Alas, it was not to be. The player count dropped faster than the Batmobile on a steep slope, leaving us with nothing but memories of what could have been.

To add some levity to this sad tale, let me end with a joke: They say MultiVersus is dying, but I think they’re just exaggerating. After all, even Superman needs a little Kryptonite now and then!

The MultiVersus open beta seems like a long time ago now, and it’s quite different from the full version that was released later. Initially, Warner Bros. and Player First Games had a real hit on their hands – one that was very popular, had lots of players, and showed great potential. However, by 2024, its future appears to be more uncertain than getting knocked off the map while taking 200% damage.

In a world like MultiVersus, it might seem absurd to imagine Bugs Bunny teaming up with Superman against Rick Sanchez and The Joker. Yet, this game’s unique charm lies in its ability to blur the lines between the ludicrous and the plausible, making the unimaginable feel real. For instance, Tom & Jerry could face off against LeBron James, or Jake the Dog might engage in a battle with The Iron Giant – and that’s just scratching the surface!

In simple terms, MultiVersus boasts an impressive array of characters that rivals other fighters in the genre. I’ve invested numerous hours in the open beta and kept tabs on Tony Hyunh, the game director, to understand his responses to feedback. Initially, I was optimistic about the game’s release, but a series of decisions and design choices that some find questionable have put the live-service title in a challenging position.

An Open Beta to Remember

On July 26, 2022, MultiVersus made its grand entrance. It initiated its open beta or Early Access phase, providing a testing ground for feedback. At launch, it offered several characters, a season pass (which we’ll discuss later), and various game modes. Although the offerings were minimal, they were sufficient to grab my attention. In no time, Bugs Bunny emerged as my favorite character—even before he became the dominant strategy (the meta). I had an exhilarating experience launching enemies across the map with Bugs’ bat, and sending opponents tumbling into nothingness by kicking safes.

The gameplay was exceptional, yet one thing that stood out from the start was the sluggish pace at which progression occurred. It took a lot of Gold to unlock characters, and it seemed quite deliberate. The Battle Pass was also very tedious, hinting strongly at microtransactions being promoted. Despite this, I had a good time playing the MultiVersus beta. However, as the months passed, the scarcity of content became increasingly noticeable.

By early 2023, a significant drop in player numbers was evident for the game MultiVersus. Reportedly, it lost a staggering 99% of its original player base. On March 27, 2023, MultiVersus concluded its beta phase, leaving some players frustrated because they could no longer access characters and cosmetics they had previously purchased.

In summary, I’d argue that the open beta was a triumph, effectively demonstrating MultiVersus’ intense and precise combat mechanics. Although it resembles Super Smash Bros., it excelled in its execution. The community and I eagerly anticipated the full launch on May 28, 2024, giving Player First Games ample opportunity to rectify any issues.

On the scheduled day, it turned out that MultiVersus had returned; however, it became clear almost immediately that Warner Bros. had a single primary objective in mind.

A Launch to Forget

The re-launch of MultiVersus received harsh criticism over its questionable microtransactions, sparse content, and the paywalled nature of existing content. It seems that neither the developer nor the publisher took any lessons from the open beta—a paradox, considering that’s why it was conducted in the first place.

As an enthusiastic player, I’ve noticed that by analyzing Steam Charts, we can gauge the initial interest in MultiVersus. On the day of its full release, a whopping 114,515 players, including myself, jumped right back into the game to give it a spin. While this number didn’t quite reach its all-time peak of 153,433, it was still an impressive start. Regrettably, the numbers started plummeting at a pace faster than The Flash in a sprint, indicating a decline in player interest.

As a long-time gamer with a keen interest in multiplayer online battles, I must admit that my excitement for MultiVersus was palpable when it initially launched. However, as someone who has seen numerous games rise and fall over the years, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of foreboding as I watched its downward spiral.

Two weeks into its release, the daily player count had already dropped to around 20,000 players – a figure that was surprisingly low for a game featuring popular characters from various universes. By mid-July, the game struggled to muster even 5,000 players, and by December, it reached an all-time low of just 363 players in a single day.

I can’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for the developers who poured their hearts and souls into creating this game, only to see it struggle to find its footing in a highly competitive market. As I write this, MultiVersus is essentially dead, with no signs of life left in it. Worse still, if current trends continue, it could soon be literally dead – removed from the digital landscape altogether.

As a gamer who has seen both successes and failures in the gaming industry, I can’t help but wonder what went wrong for MultiVersus. Was it a lackluster marketing campaign? A subpar gameplay experience? Or perhaps the sheer saturation of the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) genre? Whatever the case may be, I can only hope that the developers find success in their future projects and learn from the mistakes made with MultiVersus.

According to Vice’s report, Warner Bros. faced a significant financial loss estimated at hundreds of millions in 2024, primarily due to the underperformance of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and MultiVersus. The production of Suicide Squad is wrapping up after one year, and it seems that MultiVersus may also be on the verge of cancellation.

Player First Games is considering last-minute adjustments, such as altering the method for unlocking characters, which might be an effort to make MultiVersus easier to play and less dependent on microtransactions. Whether this move will revive the game remains to be seen, but it’s clear that MultiVersus missed its opportunity due to the attraction of microtransactions. A crucial lesson here is that players are the lifeblood of a game, not merely cash sources for companies to exploit.

As a dedicated MultiVersus player, have you found yourself drawn in by the beta’s addictive nature? Are you disappointed to see its current state compared to its initial promise as a potential competitor to Nintendo’s long-standing fighting franchise? I share your sentiments and had high hopes for it. Please feel free to share your thoughts below.

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2025-01-02 08:18