Shortly after it was announced that MultiVersus was going to be shut down, the game's director spoke up to address, among other things, backlash from players. Originally released in July 2022, MultiVersus is a crossover platform fighter in the same vein as Nintendo's Smash Bros. series, with a roster consisting of characters from across several Warner Bros. properties, like Batman, Shaggy, and LeBron James. Despite a strong start, however, the game's early access period went offline in June 2023, and the game didn't fully launch until almost a year later in May 2024.

Following the announcement that MultiVersus is shutting down, game director Tony Huynh has spoken up on X, addressing the impending end of service and the resulting backlash from players - most notably about where that backlash took the form of "threats to harm", which Huynh states are "crossing the line". Huynh also stresses the effort put in by Player First Games and hopes that players will at least enjoy Season 5, the last season of the game before it shuts down.

MultiVersus Director Tony Huynh Breaks Silence On Live-Service Shutdown

MultiVersus's Director Addresses Player Backlash

The entire platform fighter genre lives more-or-less in the shadow of Smash Bros., at least when it comes to pure popularity, but MultiVersus has also been heavily characterized by some of its controversies, including the decisions made around the game's launch, monetization, gameplay, and character roster. Huynh's statement, for example, addresses one of the game's more controversial inclusions, the Banana Guard - a minor character from Adventure Time - saying that it was included as a "fun, quick-to-make character", and not "at the expense of another character", like fans might have thought.

Criticisms of MultiVersus are varied, and Huynh's statement doesn't address all of them, but it is a valuable peek into the game's development, clearing up some misconceptions that players might have about where the game went wrong and why it's shutting down. Huynh ends the statement by saying that the future of Player First Games is uncertain, but hopefully, the studio can avoid shutting down alongside its first game - and, obviously, players should avoid resorting to threats in their criticisms of how MultiVersus has been handled.

MultiVersus Closing Down Has Affected A Lot Of Fans

MultiVersus Has Been Heavily Criticized By Fans For Multiple Reasons

For fans of the game, the impending shutdown has garnered considerable backlash, with especially MultiVersus's more devoted fans feeling "scammed" after having invested a significant amount of money in the game. Even before the shutdown notice, the decision to essentially "close" the game for a year before re-launching it, controversial gameplay changes, and some lackluster character additions had all contributed to a considerable amount of backlash and a heavily declining player base.

Currently, there is a player-led movement to #SaveMultiVersus, which has been acknowledged and ed by some developers at Player First Games, but it's unfortunately unlikely to amount to anything concrete. There's always the chance that a well-received Season 5 and news of the impending shutdown could draw enough attention and players to save the game, but for now, it looks like MultiVersus is going to shut down as promised.

Source: @Tony_Huynh/X