MultiVersus Dev Mourns Game, Condemns Threats After Shutdown

The game director of MultiVersus, Tony Huynh, has publicly addressed the "threats to harm" developers 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 a year after its relaunch. Players can still enjoy all earned and purchased content offline through local gameplay and training modes.

Although real-money transactions for MultiVersus have ceased, players can continue using Gleamium and character tokens to access in-game content until support ends on May 30. At that time, MultiVersus will be removed from the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, Steam, and Epic Games Store.

The announcement, coupled with the absence of a refund policy, has led to backlash from players, particularly those who purchased the $100 premium Founder's Pack. Many feel "scammed," and some have character tokens that are now useless since they've unlocked all available characters. As a result, MultiVersus is facing 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 towards Warner Bros. Games, the developers, IP holders, and the players, emphasizing the team's dedication and passion. He apologized for the delay in addressing the situation and highlighted the joy that fan art, character ideas, and personal stories brought to the team.

Huynh also explained the complexities of character selection, using the example of BananaGuard, which was created out of the team's enthusiasm. He stressed that Player First Games is a collaborative environment where ideas are encouraged and valued. He acknowledged the pain felt by everyone involved and called out the threats to harm as crossing a line, urging the community to take a step back and recognize the team's mourning for the game.

Huynh hopes that players will enjoy Season 5 and continue supporting other platform fighter and fighting games, reflecting on the positive impact these games have had on him and the memories created. He thanked the community for allowing the dream of MultiVersus to become a reality, even if for a shorter time than desired.

Player First Games community manager and game developer Angelo Rodriguez Jr. defended Huynh on X/Twitter, emphasizing that receiving threats of physical harm is unacceptable. Rodriguez highlighted Huynh's dedication to the game and the community, expressing his distress over the situation and urging players to consider Huynh's perspective.

The shutdown of MultiVersus adds to Warner Bros. Games' recent challenges, following the poor reception of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The departure of Warner Bros. Games boss David Haddad and financial losses attributed to both games have put the company under scrutiny. Warner Bros. Discovery reported a $200 million hit from Suicide Squad and an additional $100 million from MultiVersus. The only new game release 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 the games business and announced a focus on four key franchises: Hogwarts Legacy, Mortal Kombat, Game of Thrones, and DC, particularly Batman. Despite the challenges, Mortal Kombat 1 has seen over five million sales, and Warner Bros. continues to develop new titles, including a VR game, Batman: Arkham Shadow, and a Wonder Woman game at Monolith Productions.