MultiVersus being shut down in May as it flops for a second time-Adam Starkey-Entertainment – Metro

Super Warner Bros. is over (Warner Bros.)

Warner Bros. crossover fighter MultiVersus is officially ending after its next season, as history repeats itself.

Many games have tried to emulate the success of Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. series, and while none of them have come close to its level of success, or quality, MultiVersus was definitely one of the best.

Warner’s free-to-play platform fighter originally launched in beta form in July 2022 and was initially a huge success, but its popularity dropped significantly in the following months. The beta was taken offline in June 2023, as its player count dwindled, before a relaunch in May last year, with overhauled mechanics and other additions.

Now, eight months later, Warner Bros. has announced MultiVersus is being laid to rest once again.

In a post from developer Player First Games, the team confirmed the upcoming fifth season of MultiVersus will be its last. The season, which will see Aquaman and Lola Bunny added to the roster, begins February 4 and runs until May 30, 2025.

After that date, all online features in MultiVersus will be switched off and it will be delisted. The game will still be playable offline though, either solo against AI opponents or with up to three other players in local multiplayer, as long as you download the latest version of the game and log in at some point during season five.

As of today (January 31), all real money transactions within MultiVersus have been removed. Any remaining in-game currency (Gleamium) you have purchased, or character tokens, can still be used until season five ends on May 30 at 9am PT/5pm GMT.

All content in season five will be obtainable through gameplay, including Aquaman and Lola Bunny, who will be given to players as battle pass and daily login rewards, respectively.

‘We want to thank every player and person who has ever played or supported MultiVersus,’ the post reads. ‘All of us on the Player First Games and Warner Bros. Games teams have poured our heart and soul into this game. We will be forever grateful for the incredible support of the MultiVersus community throughout this journey.’

While it’s tempting to blame MultiVersus’s free-to-play model for its downfall, the enduring success of Brawlhalla proves you can have a long-lasting live service platform fighter – but that game’s popularity has been a slow burn since launching in 2017, and it’s likely to have been a considerably cheaper venture than MultiVersus.

To compare the numbers over the past 24 hours, Brawlhalla hit a concurrent peak of 13,998 players on Steam, while MultiVersus only managed 648 players.

The shut down of MultiVersus isn’t surprising, considering Warner Bros. admitted it had underperformed last year, costing them $100 million.

Its failure comes hot on the heels of the company’s other live service flop, Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, although there are still mixed messages as to whether it’s going to take the hint and move away from games as a service titles in the future.

Superman could take on Bugs Bunny (Warner Bros.)

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