MultiVersus Dev Mourns Game, Condemns Threats After Shutdown

The game director of MultiVersus, Tony Huynh, has publicly addressed the "threats to harm" developers that surfaced following the announcement of the game's impending shutdown. Last week, Player First Games revealed that Season 5 of the Warner Bros. brawler would mark its final chapter, with servers set to go offline in May, just one year after its relaunch. Players can still enjoy all earned and purchased content in offline modes like local gameplay and training.

With real-money transactions for MultiVersus now disabled, players can continue using Gleamium and character tokens to access in-game content until support ends on May 30. At that point, the game will be delisted from the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, Steam, and Epic Games Store.

The announcement, coupled with the absence of a refund policy, sparked outrage among players, particularly those who purchased the $100 premium Founder's Pack. Many felt "scammed," and some players with character tokens found them useless after unlocking all characters. As expected, MultiVersus has faced review bombing on Steam.

In response, Tony Huynh, co-founder of Player First Games and game director of MultiVersus, took to Twitter to address player concerns and condemn the threats of violence directed at the team. In his statement, Huynh expressed gratitude to Warner Bros. Games, the developers at Player First Games and WB Games, IP holders, and the players. He highlighted the team's creativity and passion, apologized for delays in communication, and acknowledged the community's contributions through fan art, character ideas, and personal stories.

Huynh explained the complexities behind character selection, using the example of BananaGuard, which was created quickly by an enthusiastic team over a weekend. He also emphasized the collaborative nature of Player First Games and their commitment to delivering value to players despite limitations in time and resources.

Addressing the threats, Huynh stressed the emotional toll the shutdown has taken on the team and urged the community to enjoy Season 5 and continue supporting other platform fighter and fighting games. He expressed hope that players would remember MultiVersus fondly for the friendships and memories it fostered.

Player First Games community manager and game developer Angelo Rodriguez Jr. also defended Huynh on Twitter, condemning the threats and highlighting Huynh's dedication to the game and its community. Rodriguez emphasized that the team poured their heart into MultiVersus and encouraged players to enjoy the final season.

The shutdown of MultiVersus adds to the challenges faced by Warner Bros. Games, following the disappointing launch of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League last year. The departure of Warner Bros. Games boss David Haddad was recently announced after a difficult 12 months for the company. Warner Bros. Discovery reported that Suicide Squad's failure cost them $200 million, with MultiVersus adding another $100 million to the financial hit. The only new game release from Warner Bros. Games in the third quarter of 2024, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, failed to make a significant impact.

In a financial call, Warner Bros. Discovery President and CEO David Zaslav acknowledged the underperformance of their games business. Post-launch content for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has concluded, and while Warner Bros. has not announced Rocksteady's next game, the studio is reportedly working on a director's cut of Hogwarts Legacy amidst recent layoffs.

There are also uncertainties about Mortal Kombat 1's financial performance, though NetherRealm chief Ed Boon announced over five million sales and teased future DLC. During the same financial call, Zaslav stated that Warner Bros. is focusing on four key franchises: Hogwarts Legacy, Mortal Kombat, Game of Thrones, and DC, particularly Batman. Recent releases include the VR game Batman: Arkham Shadow on Meta Quest 3, and a Wonder Woman game is in development at Monolith Productions.