Multiversus had grand ambitions, but Warner Bros Games’ brawler faced reality with a lack of player interest. After a successful Early Access period and a year-long hiatus to switch engines and relaunch on new foundations, Multiversus unfortunately failed to reengage players. The pause was not only too long, but the audience had moved on. As a result, just one year after its definitive return, Warner Bros Games is abandoning the game, announcing the closure of servers. The offline game remains accessible, but online battles will no longer be possible come next May. This has angered players, especially those who invested €100 in the Founders Pack with diminished interest. Some feel deceived and betrayed, even speaking of an attack on members of Player First Games’ studio. Following these online harassments and reported physical threats, game director Tony Huynh denounced such unacceptable behavior in a lengthy tweet, also addressing the unfortunate situation he and his team find themselves in.
Hello everyone,I wanted to share some reflections on the recent news regarding MultiVersus. Although I am saddened by the outcome, I will always be grateful for the opportunity provided by Warner Bros. Games and each developer from Player First Games and WB Games teams. Thank you also to all the intellectual property holders for entrusting us with their characters; we hope we have remained faithful to them and authentic for your fans. I cannot be prouder of the work accomplished by the PFG team. Their endless creativity and passion never cease to inspire and amaze me.Of course, I wanted to thank all players who played or supported MultiVersus. Serving players is Player First Games’ goal. I apologize for not addressing these matters sooner; much has happened, and I focused on the game and team, but now more so on the team itself.
Thank you for sending all the fan arts, character ideas, and personal stories. They were a highlight each day and always enthused the team. I apologize if we couldn’t discuss your favorite character. I truly believe Aquaman and Lola are really cool and hope you’ll discover them all. Character selection depends on several factors, including development time, listening to community wishes, collaborating with intellectual property holders and obtaining approvals, the availability of cross-promotional opportunities, and the team’s inspiration to create the character. There are many things to consider. For instance, BananaGuard came about because the team was excited about creating it and produced it themselves over a weekend as a fun, quick character. When inspiration and enthusiasm strike, we want to reward that, which is how we got BananaGuard. It wasn’t at the expense of another character; it was because the team was excited to create this one.
I do not have the power that some believe I possess. PFG is a very collaborative team where ideas are encouraged and can come from anyone, fostering value creation for players.
I also hope that the community will recognize our efforts to listen and act. Like any developer, we are constrained by time and resources. I understand it is painful for everyone, and each PFG member feels this pain too, but I must emphasize that you have the right to express your opinions and speak out, though threats of harm cross a line. I hope you can step back and realize this is an extremely difficult period for the team. I am deeply saddened by the fate of the game. Nobody wanted this outcome, and it was not due to a lack of attention or effort.
I sincerely hope that season 5 will be appreciated during the remaining time and that you will continue to support other fighting and platform games, as these games have had numerous positive impacts on me. I’ve made so many friends and created so many great memories thanks to these games, and one of the main reasons we worked so hard at PFG was to share this with you. I hope we played a small part and that you will look back on MVS and find joy in the friends you’ve made and the memories you’ve shared.
Thank you for allowing this dream to become reality, even if only for a shorter period than we had wished. I do not know what the future holds, but I wanted to extend my gratitude. It was an honor to work alongside the PFG team to serve our community and players.
Tony Huynh took the opportunity to address the accusations against him (a Reddit post was published), particularly the claim that he is partly responsible for the game’s failure. He has been described as a poor manager who did not listen to his team but rather favored employees with whom he had the closest relationships. However, Tony Huynh reminded everyone that he does not have the authority some believe he possesses. Following this controversy, some players stated they would no longer purchase multiplayer games from Warner Bros. MultiVersus’ rating on Steam shifted from “majority positive” with over 100,000 reviews to “majority negative” over the weekend.
