Summary
With its hiatus continuing for an indeterminate amount of time,MultiVersus' offline status makes its place in the fighting game genre one of the strangest in recent years. The Warner Brothers crossover platform fighter was able to generate a respectable amount of attention upon the initial launch of its open beta, but it has since gone offline since June 2023 ahead of an “early 2024” return. The drop-off in hype thatMultiVersusexperienced after the peak that was its appearance at EVO made for little fanfare when its servers eventually came down, but there’s a possibility that WB may have been better off if the game was allowed to exist in an early access state as it became updated over time.
It’s clear thatMultiVersuswas intended to reach the levels of popularity of itsSmash Bros.inspiration, but that doesn’t mean the game received what it needed to do so. It faced many criticisms since the launch of its open beta, some of which were addressed with patches, while others were left unchanged through subsequent months of small updates. It’s understandable that developer Player First Games would want to take some time to reevaluate its strategy on the free-to-play title, butthe choice to takeMultiVersusofflinemay not be what the fledgling platform fighter needed when it comes to establishing itself.
MultiVersus' Initial Launch Showed Major Potential
A Hyped Tournament Prize Pool and Marketing Campaign
It lacked the same level of synergy found in the casts ofSmash Bros.or evenNickelodeon All-Star Brawlfrom the start, butMultiVersusstill managed to make a huge impression when it first became available. With smart promotion that stretched from popular content creators to the game’s massive hundred thousand dollar prize pool at EVO 2022 provided by WB, the beginning of the game’s open beta featured record-breaking player counts.
The Accessibility of a Free-to-Play Live Service
The buy-in associated with fighting games can often be a barrier to entry, but the fact thatMultiVersuswas available for free set it apart in a way that attracted tens of thousands. It utilized rotating free playable characters in the vein of a title likeLeague of Legends, with in-game currency available for purchase to be used for unlocking them permanently. Focusing on cosmetics along with this model has proven successful for several other free-to-play titles, butfeedback towardsMultiVersusbegan to change as updates became less substantial, leaving rewards feeling stagnant for many players ahead of the hiatus' beginning.
MultiVersus' Time Offline Has Only Made It Even Less Relevant
An Ongoing Early Access Model Could Have Built a Strong Product
The choice to take the game down and come back with an improved version has its benefits, but it can also be argued that remaining available during this time instead could only have brought in more attention. Including obvious movie tie-ins like Black Adam andLeBron James inMultiVersusaligned with WB’s business at the time, but the character updates which sustain fighting games over time could have been implemented with more long-term consideration. IfMultiVersushad been actively updated as an early access experience for all of this time instead of shutting down, there may have been several opportunities for hyped character launches and refinements to gameplay to revitalize awareness of the game.
A Chance to Start MultiVersus Fresh in “Early 2024” Awaits
The lack of news regarding the game’s upcoming relaunch has fans speculating thatMultiVersuswill returnby April of this year, as anything beyond is no longer early. With no solid updates since last year, there’s a genuine sense of uncertainty among players, especially those players stuck with unusable microtransaction purchases. If WB truly intends to bringMultiVersusback to the heights it once reached and keep it there, the future strategy for the game needs to be one that isn’t afraid of a slower, more sustainable rise to success.
