MultiVersus Shutdown Sparks Online Threats, Dev Mourns

The game director of MultiVersus, Tony Huynh, has revealed that developers have received threats of harm following the announcement of the game's closure. Last week, Player First Games announced that Season 5 would be MultiVersus's last, 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 real-money transactions have ceased, players can still use Gleamium and character tokens until support ends on May 30th. The game will also be delisted from major digital stores.

Following the announcement—and the absence of a refund policy—players who purchased the $100 Founder's Pack expressed anger, with some claiming to feel scammed. Reports indicate many have unusable character tokens, having already unlocked all characters. Unsurprisingly, MultiVersus is experiencing review bombing on Steam.

Huynh addressed player concerns and condemned the threats of violence in a tweet:

Hey all, I wanted to say a few words reflecting on the recent MultiVersus news. While saddened by the outcome, I'm grateful for the opportunity from Warner Bros. Games and to every developer on the Player First Games and WB Games teams. Thank you to every IP holder for trusting us; we hope we honored your characters and fans. I'm incredibly proud of the PFG team's creativity and passion. And of course, thank you to every player who supported MultiVersus. Delighting players is Player First Games' objective.

I apologize for the delayed response; much has been happening, and my focus has been on the team.

Thank you for the fan art, character ideas, and personal stories—they were daily highlights.

I'm sorry we couldn't include every favorite character. Aquaman and Lola are cool—check them out! Character selection involves many factors: development time, community feedback, IP holder approvals, cross-marketing opportunities, and team inspiration. BananaGuard, for example, resulted from team enthusiasm—a fun, quick project—not at the expense of other characters.

I don't have the power some believe. PFG is highly collaborative, encouraging ideas from everyone and prioritizing player value.

We strive to listen and act, but time and resources are limited.

This is painful for everyone at PFG, but threats of harm are unacceptable. You're entitled to your opinions, but threats cross a line. This is an extremely sad time for the team. Nobody wanted this outcome, and it wasn't due to lack of care or effort.

I hope you enjoy Season 5 and continue supporting platform fighters. These games have given me many positive experiences, and we at PFG worked hard to share that. I hope you find joy in the friendships and memories made in MVS.

Thank you for making this dream a reality, even if briefly. I don't know what the future holds, but thank you for the honor of working with the PFG team to serve our community.

Angelo Rodriguez Jr., a Player First Games community manager and developer, defended Huynh on X/Twitter, stating that threats of physical harm are unacceptable. He highlighted Huynh's dedication and efforts to engage with the community.

MultiVersus's failure is the latest setback for Warner Bros. Games, following Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's disastrous launch. Warner Bros. Discovery stated that Suicide Squad's failure and MultiVersus's cancellation resulted in a combined $300 million loss. Their only new game release in Q3 2024, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, failed to gain traction.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav acknowledged the games business' underperformance and announced a focus on four core franchises: Hogwarts Legacy (a sequel is in development), Mortal Kombat, Game of Thrones, and DC, particularly Batman. They recently released Batman: Arkham Shadow for Meta Quest 3 and are developing a Wonder Woman game. Zaslav emphasized focusing development on proven franchises and studios to improve success rates. While Mortal Kombat 1’s financial performance remains uncertain, NetherRealm’s Ed Boon reported over five million sales and teased future DLC.