The official termination of MultiVersus’ Open Beta was first announced on Twitter through @multiversus. The tweet read, “Attention, MVPs: Reminder that on June 25 at 5 pm PT, MultiVersus online features will be disabled as our Open Beta concludes”.
The tweet further mentioned that “all unlockable content will be temporarily available for your enjoyment” during the hiatus. Interestingly, it was also announced that when the game officially launches in 2024, players will have their inventory returned to how it was before its shutdown on June 25.
Earlier in March, MultiVersus developer Player First Games and its publisher WB Games announced that it would shut down the game completely across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC platforms.
The game may still be playable offline (for those that have downloaded it) during the hiatus. However, during the shutdown, there will be no further updates to MultiVersus and online play will not be possible.
“Throughout our Open Beta, we’ve been working hard to build the best gameplay experience, and we appreciate all of the inspiration you’ve given us,” said MultiVersus director Tony Huynh in a statement. “As a result, we have a clearer view of what we need to focus on, specifically the content cadence of new characters, maps, and modes to give you more ways to enjoy the game, along with updated netcode and more matchmaking improvements.”
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In most cases, games move straight from Beta to the full game. Therefore, the long downtime surprised fans of the game who are still unsure of the kind of changes the developers want to make to the game. The statement shared by Huynh highlighted some of the changes they want to make to the game.
“We’ll also be reworking the progression system and looking at new ways for players to connect with friends in the game,” said Huynh.
What kind of game is MultiVersus?
MultiVersus is a platform fighter game featuring team-based matchups. It features iconic characters and supports full crossplay and cross-progression. The beta test features DC characters like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Harley Quinn.
In addition to that, the game also has characters from Scooby Doo, Tom and Jerry, Tazmania, Bugs Bunny, Arya Stark from Game of Thrones, and more. The Alpha started on May 19 last year. MultiVersus features different online modes, including 1v1 matches, 2v2 format, and 4-player free-for-all.
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MultiVersus has been a record-setter. When the open beta was first launched in July 2022, it recorded up to 153,000 simultaneous players on Steam. Over a short period, it garnered over 10 million downloads. As of the time of writing this, the matches were still playable and the performance has not faltered.
Throughout 2022, the game experienced steady content and character updates. However, that stopped after the start of Season 2. The initial plan was to keep patching the game until it reaches the final release state.
However, things apparently did not work as planned. More details about what will happen to MultiVersus after the beta ends are available on the game’s official FAQ page.
Although the sudden shutdown of the game has led to massive backlash from fans of the game—particularly those that spent money—there were still late leaks that offered what may seem like a glimmer of hope for a huge 2024 relaunch.
Will MultiVersus really return in early 2024?
After an impressive start, the popularity of MultiVersus plunged. The updates dwindled in frequency. Matches started to feel less like they were supported by rollback netcode. The developers made things worse by doubling the required XP to complete challenges and gain battle pass which stalled progression.
All these factors contributed to the fall of the player count to less than 500. This has made players believe that the game may have been silently shut down never to return.
Another reason that may have fueled this speculation was the inclusion of a battle pass in MultiVersus’ beta test, a feature that is usually available only in launch games.
Although the game was going offline, the developers revealed that they will not honor refund requests for in-game purchases. This decision has ruffled the feathers of a few players—some think it is either dodgy or outright bad business.
“This announcement does not change any current refund policies or terms offered by the storefront(s) from which Founder’s Packs or Gleamium bundles were purchased,” said the FAQ page.
Player First Games will likely be brainstorming to see how they will turn around the fortune of the game before its 2024 launch. Unless something spectacular is done, it is highly unlikely that MultiVersus will launch with fanfare.
Do you think MultiVersus will get a warm reception if it makes a return in 2024? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
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