Warner Bros. Games and Player First announced today that the MultiVersus open beta will end in 90 days. The publisher and developers promise that the game will return “early 2024”. In the meantime, players will not be able to play online and no new updates will be released. And in bad news for players who invested money in the game, WB Games currently has no plans to offer refunds.
Released in July 2022, MultiVersus came out of the gate hot and became one of the most popular games on Steam. The platformer played very much like Smash Bros., but instead of classic Nintendo characters, it featured an odd collection of fighters from WB’s own IP, like Scooby-Doo’s Shaggy, DC Comics’ Superman, and Looney Toons’ Bugs Bunny. Players liked the free-to-play fighter and praised its combat and crossplay. But in the months that followed, many complained about missing updates and new characters. In the last month, most of the game’s PC audience was gone. Now the folks behind the game are shutting everything down until next year in what they say to make the game better “in the right way.”
In a post on the game’s official website, Player First Games co-founder and MultiVersus director Tony Huynh explained why the team is making the open beta on May 25 a “stepping stone” to the next “phase” of the F2P fighter it’s “yet to do.” a lot to do”.
As a result, we have a clearer view of what to focus on, specifically the content rhythm of new characters, maps and modes to give you more ways to enjoy the game, along with updated netcode and more matchmaking improvements. We’ll also revamp the progression system based on your feedback and look for new ways to connect with your friends in-game.
To get this right, we will close the MultiVersus Open Beta on June 25, 2023. As part of this process, we will be pausing updates and taking the game offline while we prepare for the launch of MultiVersus, which we aim to be in early 2024.
During this extended downtime, all online game modes and features will be unavailable. Players also have limited offline access to the in-game training room and local matches. Elsewhere in the post, a FAQ confirms that MultiVersus will be completely removed from digital stores on April 4th. During this extended shutdown, the premium currency will also be removed from the game.
The last part is worth mentioning. This is a game that sold Founder’s Packs and in-game currency. It had a large cosmetics store and premium battle passes. And all of that content will be virtually worthless once the MultiVersus servers shut down in June. In the FAQ, WB and the developers have made it very clear that there will be no refunds, stating that refunds will not be available “as a result of the closure of the open beta.” However, all progress and content will carry over to MultiVersus when it returns next year.
Understandably, initial reactions to this news are negative as players are demanding refunds and wondering why the downtime will be so long. Some also theorize that the game may not return. However, at least for now, the developers of MultiVersus are adamant that it will return in early 2024. We will wait.
