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 that the game will shut down in May. This decision came after Player First Games revealed that Season 5 would be the last for the Warner Bros. brawler, which relaunched just a year ago.

Players can still access all earned and purchased content offline via local gameplay and training modes, but real-money transactions are no longer available. Fans can continue using Gleamium and character tokens until support ends on May 30. At that time, MultiVersus will be delisted from major digital stores like the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, Steam, and Epic Games Store.

The backlash was significant, especially from those who purchased the $100 premium Founder's Pack, feeling "scammed" due to the lack of a refund policy. Many players have unused character tokens, as they had already unlocked all characters. Consequently, MultiVersus has faced review bombing on Steam.

In a detailed statement on Twitter, Huynh expressed gratitude to Warner Bros. Games, the development teams, IP holders, and the players. He apologized for the delay in addressing the community's concerns and highlighted the team's dedication to the game. Huynh also explained the complexities behind character selection and development, citing the creation of BananaGuard as an example of the team's enthusiasm.

Huynh emphasized that the threats of violence were unacceptable, especially during this challenging time for the team. He encouraged the community to enjoy Season 5 and continue supporting other platform fighter and fighting games, reflecting on the positive impact these games have had on him.

Angelo Rodriguez Jr., a community manager and game developer at Player First Games, defended Huynh on X/Twitter, recounting his dedication and the threats he received. Rodriguez stressed that physical harm threats were not the way to respond and hoped the community would appreciate the team's efforts.

MultiVersus' shutdown 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 was announced after a difficult year, with the parent company Warner Bros. Discovery reporting significant financial losses from both games.

In a financial call, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav acknowledged the underperformance of their games division and announced a focus on four key franchises: Hogwarts Legacy, Mortal Kombat, Game of Thrones, and DC, particularly Batman. Despite the setbacks, Warner Bros. continues to develop new titles, including a VR game, Batman: Arkham Shadow, and a Wonder Woman game at Monolith Productions.