The game director of MultiVersus, Tony Huynh, has publicly condemned the threats of violence directed at the development team following the announcement of the game's closure. Last week, Player First Games revealed that Season 5 would be MultiVersus' final season, with servers shutting down this May, just a year after its relaunch. Offline access to purchased and earned content will remain via local and training modes. While in-game purchases are discontinued, players can still utilize Gleamium and character tokens until May 30th, after which the game will be delisted from all major digital stores.
The announcement, coupled with the lack of a refund policy, ignited considerable backlash from players, particularly those who purchased the $100 Founder's Pack and now possess unusable character tokens. This negative reaction has unsurprisingly resulted in a wave of negative reviews on Steam.
Huynh's statement addressed player concerns and strongly denounced the threats: He expressed gratitude towards Warner Bros. Games, the development teams, IP holders, and players. He apologized for a delayed response, citing the demanding circumstances and the team's well-being as priorities. He highlighted fan contributions as a source of inspiration and explained the multifaceted process behind character selection, citing factors such as development time, community feedback, IP holder approvals, and marketing opportunities. He emphasized the collaborative nature of Player First Games and the team's dedication to listening to and acting on player feedback, acknowledging limitations in time and resources. He concluded by expressing his deep sadness over the game's closure and pleading for players to refrain from violence and threats.
Player First Games' community manager, Angelo Rodriguez Jr., further defended Huynh, highlighting his dedication and commitment to the community, emphasizing that threats of harm are unacceptable. He underscored the team's hard work and expressed hope that players would enjoy Season 5.
MultiVersus' failure represents another significant setback for Warner Bros. Games, following the poor performance of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Warner Bros. Discovery reported a combined $300 million loss attributed to these two titles, further highlighting the underperformance of their games division. Their third-quarter 2024 release, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, also failed to gain traction.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav acknowledged the underperformance of their games division and announced a renewed focus on four core franchises: Hogwarts Legacy (with a sequel in development), Mortal Kombat, Game of Thrones, and DC, particularly Batman. This strategy includes the recent release of Batman: Arkham Shadow for Meta Quest 3 and a forthcoming Wonder Woman game. Zaslav emphasized a concentration on proven studios and core franchises to improve success rates. While Mortal Kombat 1 has reportedly sold over five million copies, its long-term financial success remains uncertain.
