Fighting Games Friday: MultiVersus’ Ultimate Gambit
MultiVersus was on top of the online fighting game world not long ago. The game, a multiplayer versus (ha) title in the style of Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. games that stars a slew of characters from Warner Bros. properties, had over 100,000 people playing on Steam simultaneously shortly after the beta launched last summer. The number notably didn’t include those playing on PlayStation and Xbox platforms. The combination of its free-to-play nature and the attractive character roster with additions like Batman, Superman, Bugs Bunny, Rick Sanchez, Shaggy, Arya Stark, LeBron James, and too many more, was enough to attract a significant audience.
But that number has crashed hard in subsequent months. The inconsistently-released updates from developer Player First Games and publisher Warner Bros. Games were a big issue, with there being over four months since the last character, Marvin the Martian, released. Complaints about the gameplay didn’t help, this being another title inspired by Smash Bros. that didn’t capture what made those games enjoyable to control.
The current predicament has forced the developer and publisher combo to take the ultimate gambit. It was announced this week that the open beta session will end and the game will temporarily be shut down online on June 25th, a hair under three months from now. It will also be removed from storefronts and unavailable for download starting April 4th, next Tuesday. The developers have continued to analyze what players like and dislike about the game, and plan to make sure to address that in time for the full release sometime early next year. The only modes that will remain available during this time will be a limited Training Mode and local offline match options.
This is a bold move, besides the unintended comedy that came with some players just realizing the game was still in a beta state. Removing the online modes for a game that players have invested money in to purchase characters and items for with in-game currency has been unsurprisingly difficult for some of them to swallow. They may not be satisfied through playing the training mode while they wait, and it’s not easy for those outside younger types to assemble players for local matches on a regular basis. The developers will have to hope that the players willing to come back and try it for the first time will be a significant number.
It could pay off depending on how the full game turns out. MultiVersus’ beta time has been prolonged, but the development team’s goal during the period has been the same as any other. There’s only so much that can be done with the gameplay between the present day and the full release, but the itinerary should be to make an enjoyable title that feels polished while distinguishing itself from Smash Bros. Chances are the team embarked on this goal before the beta session ended, but hopefully the period between now and early 2024 will be enough time for them to improve it without certain members having to spend long nights in the office — or slaving away at it if they’re still working from home.
Alongside the gameplay refinements should come characters bound to attract and reattract a large audience. They’ve already featured several big characters, but plenty more were mentioned in leaks. Those like the Joker, Gandalf, Legolas, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Daenerys Targaryen, Godzilla, and Harry Potter will attract plenty of eyes. (I’m well aware that Harry Potter creator JK Rowling is a TERF queen, but the franchise itself still demonstrably attracts plenty of attention in the video gaming sphere.) Scorpion and Sub-Zero will be good characters to release shortly after the next Mortal Kombat game arrives sometime this year, assuming MultiVersus returns early in 2024, while Godzilla and King Kong could arrive alongside the next Godzilla vs. Kong movie due in March 2024. There’s plenty of opportunity for cross-promotional synergy here, which should be taken advantage of.
Player First Games should also highlight its new and updated features to placate the audience that spent money on it but won’t be able to play for a prolonged time. The promise should be that the cash they invested was ultimately worth it. Doing this, in addition to attracting an audience that spent little-to-nothing on the microtransactions, should make — for the lack of a better name — A MultiVersus Reborn a success.
I’m sure Player First and Warner have several preview events already planned throughout the year, and plan to demonstrate the game at events that don’t bear the name “Electronic Entertainment Expo.” Hopefully they’ll unlock its full potential in terms of its gameplay and roster with the full launch, or it will join the list of other titles inspired by Smash Bros. that came for the king and whiffed spectacularly.
About The Author
Geoff
News Editor | Geoff is some nerd who writes for a blog and thinks he's knowledgeable. He write a lot about video games, but is capable of writing about other subjects, too. Twitter
