MultiVersus Dev Calls Out ‘Threats to Harm’ Following Shutdown Announcement: ‘I Am in Deep Mourning for the Game’

The game director of MultiVersus, Tony Huynh, has publicly denounced the threats of violence directed at the development team following the announcement of the game's closure. Last week, Player First Games revealed that Season 5 would be the final season, with servers shutting down this May, just a year after its relaunch. Offline access to purchased and earned content will remain via local and training modes. While in-game purchases are halted, Gleamium and character tokens remain usable until May 30th, after which the game will be delisted from all major digital stores.

The announcement, coupled with the lack of a refund policy, sparked outrage among players, particularly those who purchased the $100 Founder's Pack, leading to accusations of being "scammed" and a wave of negative reviews on Steam.

Huynh's statement acknowledged the disappointment but expressed gratitude towards Warner Bros. Games, the development teams, IP holders, and players. He apologized for the delayed response, citing the demanding situation and his focus on supporting the team. He highlighted the team's dedication and creativity, emphasizing that character selection involves numerous factors beyond player requests, including development time, IP approvals, and marketing opportunities. He used the example of BananaGuard, a character developed organically from team enthusiasm, to illustrate this point.

Huynh stressed the collaborative nature of Player First Games and the team's efforts to listen to player feedback, while acknowledging limitations in time and resources. He strongly condemned the threats of harm, urging players to understand the emotional toll on the team. He expressed hope that players would enjoy the remaining Season 5 and continue supporting the platform fighter genre.

Angelo Rodriguez Jr., a community manager and developer, corroborated Huynh's statement, defending him against the personal attacks and highlighting his dedication and commitment to the game and the community.

MultiVersus' failure adds to Warner Bros. Games' recent struggles, following the poor reception of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Warner Bros. Discovery reported that these two games contributed to a combined $300 million loss. Their third-quarter release, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, also underperformed.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav acknowledged the underperformance of their games division and announced a renewed focus on four core franchises: Hogwarts Legacy (with a sequel in development), Mortal Kombat, Game of Thrones, and DC, particularly Batman. This includes the recent release of Batman: Arkham Shadow VR and an upcoming Wonder Woman game. Zaslav emphasized a strategy of concentrating development on proven franchises and studios to improve success rates. While Mortal Kombat 1's financial performance remains unclear, NetherRealm Studios reported over five million sales and hinted at future DLC.

(Note: The images provided in the original text are not relevant to the MultiVersus article and have been retained only because the prompt requested it. They have been relabeled as "MultiVersus Game Screenshot" for context.)