‘MultiVersus has a rare second chance at getting it right, and I really hope it does’
Player First Games’ first launch was an example of how live service done wrong can turn a fanbase sour
Chris Scullion
On paper, I’m the perfect target audience for MultiVersus. I regularly play Smash Bros, I’m a dedicated devotee of ‘80s and ‘90s nostalgia, and any sort of crossover gets me excited, no matter which brands are involved,
So when Warner Bros Games officially announced its free-to-play fighter back in November 2021, it may as well have been scraping dreams off my brain like doner kebab meat, then feeding them back to me, Hannibal style. On top of that, I’m usually quite tolerant of live service features in games, as long as they’re handled fairly, so not even the fact that MultiVersus was free-to-play could dent my excitement for the game.
When I tried out a closed alpha in May 2022, I was very impressed by what I played, declaring that it “might just be the first truly legit Smash Bros alternative” (something fans of other Smash Bros alternatives were quick to flame me for). Then, when we got the open beta in July 2022 – which to all intents and purposes was the ‘proper’ release – I immediately fell in love with the game, and judging by Warner Bros Games’ stats I wasn’t the only one.
Within just a couple of days, the Steam version had hit a peak of more than 153,000 players, more than any other fighting game in Steam’s history. The success stories continued – a month after the game’s launch, Warner claimed that over 20 million players had already downloaded and played it, suggesting it had a strong base on which to build.
Everything started so well, and as part of the game’s Reddit and Discord communities it was great seeing the excitement surrounding the first season, and all the new characters and stages being added. And then, in real time, I watched as those communities, myself included, started to slowly turn – first on the game, then away from it.
“And then, in real time, I watched as those communities, myself included, started to slowly turn – first on the game, then away from it.”
By February 2023, the daily peak player count on Steam had dropped from more than 153,000 to less than 1000, marking a drop of 99.4% in less than seven months.
Ultimately, what had started as an exciting new brand with years of potential quickly became a lesson on how live service done wrong can turn a community sour, a lesson that Warner Bros and developer Player First Games now have a chance to learn from as they prepare for the game’s comeback.
The first warning signs appeared on day one when the game launched alongside $255 worth of skins, ringout animations, taunts, emotes and banners, which couldn’t be unlocked in the main game and could only be paid for with real money.
Arguments made by some at the time was that this was supposed to be the norm for a free-to-play game, but that didn’t make it more acceptable: as I noted on Twitter at the time, norms can’t be acceptable “when buying a coat for Bugs Bunny, a Hawaiian outfit for Velma, a retro outfit for Harley Quinn and a gold Superman costs the same price as a full AAA game”.
The Samurai Batman skin was added in Season 2 and cost $20 in premium currency
A Halloween event a few months after launch was the next big sticking point for some players, with four special items made available for a limited time. We calculated that anyone not willing to fork out for a premium skin had to likely play more than 800 matches within a month to unlock everything, a ridiculous time commitment.
Still, despite this nonsense players like me still gave the game a pass (literally) for having a reasonably paced first season, which gave players a decent amount of leeway to unlock everything. Unlike some live service games which expect you to play practically every day to reach the final tier of the battle pass, MultiVersus Season 1 was far more lenient, and my daily sessions saw me reaching the final tier with more than a month to spare.
Season 1 was also pleasantly frequent with its new content releases. Over the course of its first three-month season, the game’s roster grew from 17 to 22, with new additions including two characters from Rick and Morty, two from Gremlins and a new DC character in Black Adam.
The addition of five fighters in Season 1 gave the impression content would continue to arrive at a steady rate.
With a steady stream of newcomers keeping players occupied, it was a lot easier to ignore the nickel-and-diming (or indeed dollaring, in some cases) because there was at least something to do for those still willing to put in the grind. This changed with the game’s second season, which was ultimately to be its last before it was shut down.
When Season 2 launched in November 2022, the bottom fell out. More paid skins arrived, along with a full in-game store with even more things to buy.
The amount of XP required to clear the Battle Pass was doubled, with Player First claiming it made the game “feel both engaging and rewarding”. In reality all it meant was that the leniency I had previously appreciated was gone and MultiVersus had joined the other live service games that required solid, near-daily commitments to reach the final tier.
Even worse, the content dried up. A week into Season 2 the game’s 23rd character, Marvin the Martian, was added. And then there was nothing. For three months.
During Season 1, I was impressed at the steady stream of new characters. This was a game that appeared to have a roadmap and was sticking to it with admirable efficiency. When Season 2 started, it became apparent it had run out of road.
“During Season 1, I was impressed at the steady stream of new characters. This was a game that appeared to have a roadmap and was sticking to it with admirable efficiency. When Season 2 started, it became apparent it had run out of road.”
“We heard you, MVPs!” the game’s official Twitter account said on February 8, 2023, a couple of days before Season 2 was due to end. “To help you reach the end of the current Battle Pass, players get Battle Pass XP Boost items plus Season 2 is extended to March 31.”
Kicking Season 3 down the road by a month and a half did nothing to satisfy the players who were already annoyed at the lack of new content, and Player First’s decision to add the ability to purchase tiers instead of grinding certainly didn’t help the mood.
The writing appeared to be on the wall for the game, and sure enough it was eventually announced that there would be no Season 3, and that the game would be taken offline to “prepare for the launch of MultiVersus, which we are targeting for early 2024”.
Sure enough, the game was then removed from digital stores in April 2023, and the servers were turned off in June 2023.
Obviously we can never know this until someone officially confirms it, but I don’t believe for a second that the original plan was to release MultiVersus as an open beta, then take it offline for nearly a year to “prepare for its launch”.
The clear impression – with the copious microtransactions and the release of a Season 1 and Season 2, as well as references to Season 3 – was that this open beta would eventually just become the main release once enough characters and modes had been added, as happened to Gameloft’s Disney Dreamlight Valley and Disney Speedstorm (both of which, incidentally, have nailed the content roadmap process far better than MultiVersus).
Instead, it looks like the wheels fell off MultiVersus, and from my experience embedded in the game’s community it seems the studio was unprepared for the complexities of adding content to a fighting game that was being taken seriously by some players.
The constant struggle to balance existing characters with updates was seemingly upended every time a new character arrived, with their new mechanics – Iron Giant’s overpowered moves, Rick and Morty’s portals – throwing in more variables, more exploits and more complaints. My guess is that all this firefighting hindered the addition of new content.
Unlike most other live service games which are shut down, however, MultiVersus now has a second shot at success. The convenience of being an open beta when it was turned off means it doesn’t have to be “that’s all, folks” – instead, Warner Bros and Player First are going down the route of claiming this was the plan all along and that the final game hasn’t launched yet.
Make no bones about it, however, this second chance will be the game’s final one. If Warner Bros and Player First can recapture that initial excitement, that’ll be half the battle – the other half will be making sure that this time the live service element is solid enough to keep players on board.
I continue to be a fan of Smash Bros, a fan of ‘80s and ‘90s nostalgia, and a fan of crossovers. I also counted myself as a fan of MultiVersus when it was active, and could regularly be found on Twitter singing its praises. But even I had lost interest before the second season had ended.
As someone who sees the potential in the concept, and really wants to see it succeed, I’m absolutely on board again and will be there on May 28 for the second take. I really hope lessons have been learned, however, and players won’t be hit again with a strict, time-consuming battle pass and a content well that dries up within a couple of months, otherwise we might be hearing “that’s a wrap” before the year’s end.
