Of course, you realize this means war…
Publisher Warner Bros Games and developer Player First Gameshave officially called timeon both Wabbit SeasonandDuck Season — The extended “beta” for platform fighterMultiVersushas been officially taken offline, bringing brings an end to one of the most questionable fighting game debuts in recent history.MultiVersusis currently expected to relaunch in “early 2024”.
The free-to-play scrapper’s servers are closed, ending a bizarre “test” phase that simultaneously had multiple seasons and additionalpaid DLC characters, skins, and stages. WhileMultiVersusplayers still have access to local Vs. matches and the fighter’s training mode, (known as “The Lab”), the community is now unable to play online in any capacity. Additionally, the studio has already noted that no refunds will be offered for any items purchased during the beta test, or the paid “Founder’s Edition” of the title.
During our hiatus, all unlockable content will be temporarily available for your enjoyment. Once MultiVersus returns for the game’s launch in 2024, your account inventory will return to how it was prior to June 25.For more info:https://t.co/XKuxAnd26j
— MultiVersus (@multiversus)August 05, 2025
Until the game’s eventual relaunch, Player First Games is unlocking every character of theMultiVersusroster. While this could be seen as a form of damage control for the bizarre handling of the title, it no doubt leaves players whohadinvested their money in the title wondering why they even bothered. These players cannot enjoy the fighter online anymore, and now the characters/skins/content they purchased with real money are now readily available toeverybodyfor the foreseeable future.
TheMultiVersusstory is morbidly curious. Launching its open beta in July 2022, the title saw incredible success out of the gate, and still holds the Steam record for the most concurrent players of a fighting game in history, as well a reported20 million total downloads. This was mostly deserved, asMultiVersusis a fun and enjoyable fighter with plenty of character and charisma. Dataminers would also discover solid evidence of some big plans, whichincluded some interesting DLC characters, alternate commentators, and placeholders for franchises such asThe GooniesandThe Wizard of Oz.
But, as the weeks and months passed, the beta’s playercount fell off in staggering fashion, as the more dedicated members of the community were left frustrated bya lack of both contentand communication, both of which became sparse by the end of 2022. When 2023 rolled around, the success of the previous summer seemed a distant memory. And, come spring,Player First Games announcedthat it would close the servers ahead of the title’s still-undesignated launch. This left theMultiVersuscommunity with myriad questions. Why was DLC even sold? Why were additional skins, stages, and modes developed? Why even launch a beta in seasons, with paid content if it was, in essence, just a testing phase?
But the big questions, hanging over the situation like a fucking vulture, are When is it coming back,Isit coming back, andWhois it coming back for? IfMultiVersusended its testing phase as, essentially, a “dead game”, then why would Warner Bros. have any interest in committing time, money, and marketing into a relaunch? We don’t live in an era where publishers release games simply because “They owe it to the community” or just because “They said they would”. We arguably never have.
The whole scenario reeks, and only time will tell how thisMultiVersusscenario plays out. Either the fun fighter returns, in which case it has to essentially reignite the interest of a market that has already left it in the dust, or it gets quietly canned, in which case it disappears like a thief in the night, holding the cash of those players that showed passion and support in the project and its future.
At this point,MultiVersusessentiallyhas no choicebut to continue on its road to release. But, when that release comes, the franchise is essentially starting from scratch all over again. The casual audience has long moved on from the excitement of that record-breaking summer, while the brand’s dedicated, money-paying audience understandably feels somewhat abandoned at best and ripped off at worst.
That’s all, folks?
