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 be the final season, with servers set to close in May, just a year after the game's relaunch. Players can still access all earned and purchased content offline through local gameplay and training modes.
With real-money transactions for MultiVersus discontinued, 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 lack 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, issued a statement on X/Twitter. He expressed gratitude to Warner Bros. Games, the development teams, IP holders, and the players, emphasizing the team's dedication and passion. Huynh apologized for the delay in addressing the situation and highlighted the community's contributions, such as fan art and character ideas.
Huynh also explained the complexities of character selection, citing the example of BananaGuard, which was created quickly due to the team's enthusiasm. He clarified his role within the highly collaborative environment at Player First Games and acknowledged the team's efforts to listen and act on community feedback despite limitations.
Addressing the threats, Huynh stated, "I know that this is painful for everyone, and I know every member of PFG feels it too, but I have to call this out, you’re entitled to what you say and think, but when there are threats to harm it’s crossing the line." He expressed his deep mourning for the game and hoped that players would enjoy Season 5 and continue supporting other platform fighter and fighting games.
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 praised Huynh's dedication and involvement with the community, urging players to consider the team's efforts and read Huynh's statement carefully.
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 amid these struggles. Warner Bros. Discovery reported that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's failure cost the company $200 million, with MultiVersus adding another $100 million to the losses. The only new game release in the third quarter of 2024, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, also 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. Warner Bros. recently released Batman: Arkham Shadow exclusively on the Meta Quest 3 and is developing a Wonder Woman game at Monolith Productions. Despite these efforts, the future of Warner Bros. Games remains uncertain, with ongoing layoffs at Rocksteady and questions about Mortal Kombat 1's financial performance, though it has sold over five million copies and has plans for future DLC.
