MultiVersus, the online competitive platform fighting game from Warner Bros. and Player First Games will be temporarily closing its doors on 25 June 2023. The title, which features a number of characters from Warner Bros.-owned properties like Looney Tunes, DC Comics, Game of Thrones, Scooby-Doo, and several others, will be pulled offline with an aim to relaunch in early 2024, according to a statement from the company.
The news has come as a surprise to many, as the free-to-play game had been operating continuously since July 2022, with the ability to purchase virtual currencies, cosmetic items, and pricey ‘Founders Packs’ that offered a bounty of items and character unlocks. New characters were introduced somewhat regularly, and two seasons of Battle Pass content were offered.
When Multiversus closes in June 2023, it will have been in operation for almost a full year.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that this opening phase was framed as an ‘open beta’, and Player First Games appears to have no qualms in treating it as such. The game went through a closed beta stage in early 2022, before the ‘open beta’ began in July 2022.
Though the game saw particularly high player uptake when the open beta first launched – over 20 million players – by the end of 2022 it feels as if the player population – as well as new content – had dwindled.
In a statement, Multiversus director Tony Huynh said that the studio knows ‘there’s still a lot of work to do’ on the game.
‘We have a clearer view of what we need to focus on, specifically the content cadence of new characters, maps, and modes to give you more ways to enjoy the game, along with updated netcode and more matchmaking improvements. We’ll also be reworking the progression system based on your feedback and looking at new ways for you to connect with your friends in the game.
After 25 June 2023, all online functionality in Multiversus will be unavailable, although offline training room and local multiplayer match functionality will still be available, along with access to any characters and cosmetic items that players have already unlocked.
Huynh assured that any and all progress that players have already unlocked in Multiversus would be carried over when the game relaunched next year.
A variety of ‘new content, features, and modes’ were promised for the 2024 relaunch.
We found Multiversus to be an entertaining take on the platform fighting genre, with some clever and interesting design choices that separated it from its competitors, and made for a more aggressive, dynamic game. Its focus on catering to high-level competitive play, despite the game’s clear intention to pull a broad, general audience with its characters, was much appreciated and seemingly well-received.
Though the temporary closure of the game is disappointing, given the dwindling playerbase, perhaps it’s what Multiversus needs to try and build in the longevity it needs to survive in a genre and community so heavily fixated on
