MultiVersus, Warner Bros, Platform fighter, Smash Bros, crossover, release date, playtest, roster, Player First

Why Did MultiVersus Shut Down, Answered

Are you wondering why MultiVersus was shut down? It makes sense because, with all of the hype around the platform fighting game and the sudden disappearance of it, you’d be forgiven for thinking something went horribly wrong. Well, we’ve got some answers for you right here.

Recommended Videos

Why Did MultiVersus Shut Down, Answered

Warner Bros. & Player First Games make the unprecedented decision to end the MultiVersus open beta, shutting it down in June 2023. This image is part of an article about why MultiVersus shut down.

It’s incredibly easy to forget that, while the game felt pretty solid and feature complete, it was actually only in open beta. Basically, we were all throwing down with the raw power of Shaggy, forgetting that it was only ever meant to be a temporary experience. While some games do go straight from a beta into a full release or even just embrace it fully with an Early Access model, MultiVersus chose to basically go into hiding before release.

Basically, nothing went wrong as such, but instead, it was always the plan. Player counts did apparently dip a bit, but a lot of that was likely after the announcement that the game was going offline, therefore killing the buzz it had. Players don’t like having to wait, so telling gamers that they’d have such a substantial chunk of time, with it being nearly a year between the open beta closing and the full release, was always going to interrupt any hype the game was building.

The game was immensely popular during the open beta and actually managed to get over 150,000 concurrent players all at the same time, which is a lot unless you’re comparing it to something like Palworld, which is still on course to just take over the world. That’s not the norm, though, especially for a fighting game, which is still arguably a fairly niche genre.

Related: Best Fighting Games of 2023

If you’re really looking forward to getting back into MultiVersus, then we’ve got good news because the full release of the game is coming on May 28, 2024. If you played the game during the open beta, then you’ll be very glad to hear that any premium purchases or items earned during that time will be carried over into the full release. That includes Battle Pass tokens, cosmetics, character tickets, and whatever else the game had.

You can also still play in training mode if you own the game via the open beta. That’s good news for those who like to get back into the swing of things, but otherwise, you’ll have to wait until the end of May to get punching, slinging, and swinging.

And that’s why MultiVersus shut down.

MultiVersus releases on May 28, 2024.


The Escapist is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article Anime Islands Codes (May 2024)
Anime Islands Official Art
Read Article Blades of Chance Codes (May 2024)
Blades of Chance Roblox RNG game
Read Article Anime Dimensions Simulator Codes (May 2024)
Anime Dimensions Promo Image
Related Content
Read Article Anime Islands Codes (May 2024)
Anime Islands Official Art
Read Article Blades of Chance Codes (May 2024)
Blades of Chance Roblox RNG game
Read Article Anime Dimensions Simulator Codes (May 2024)
Anime Dimensions Promo Image
Author
Jason Coles
Jason has been writing for over four years now, and in that time has wracked up over 50 bylines. Alongside that, he ran The Indie Game Website for a couple of years, and can be regularly found freelancing for websites like IGN, Eurogamer, Dicebreaker, and more. Alongside loving gaming, he also writes about fitness content as he's a qualified personal trainer.