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 addressed the "threats to harm" developers received after the announcement of the game's shutdown. Last week, Player First Games revealed that Season 5 of the Warner Bros. brawler would be its final season, with the MultiVersus servers scheduled to shut down in May, a mere year after its relaunch. Players can still enjoy their earned and purchased content offline via local gameplay and training modes.

Although real-money transactions for MultiVersus have ceased, players can continue to use Gleamium and character tokens to access in-game content until support ends on May 30. At that point, the game will be removed from the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, Steam, and Epic Games Store.

The announcement, coupled with the lack of a refund policy, sparked outrage among players, especially those who had purchased the $100 premium Founder's Pack. Many felt "scammed," particularly those with character tokens now deemed useless after unlocking all playable characters. As a result, MultiVersus is facing review-bombing on Steam.

Tony Huynh, co-founder of Player First Games and game director of MultiVersus, took to X/Twitter to express his thoughts on the situation and to denounce the threats directed at his team. In his statement, Huynh expressed gratitude to Warner Bros. Games, the developers, IP holders, and the players, emphasizing the team's dedication and the joy they derived from fan engagement. He acknowledged the disappointment over the game's closure, apologized for delays in communication, and explained the complexities of character selection in game development.

Huynh also highlighted the team's collaborative spirit and their efforts to listen to and act on community feedback, despite limitations. He condemned the threats of harm, stating it was a painful time for everyone involved and urged the community to enjoy the remaining time with Season 5 and continue supporting other platform fighter and fighting games.

Community manager and game developer Angelo Rodriguez Jr. defended Huynh on X/Twitter, emphasizing the unfairness of the threats against him. Rodriguez described Huynh's dedication to the game and the community, and reiterated the team's commitment to MultiVersus despite the challenging circumstances.

The closure of MultiVersus marks another setback for Warner Bros. Games, following the troubled launch of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The departure of Warner Bros. Games boss David Haddad and financial losses attributed to both games have put the company under scrutiny. Warner Bros. Discovery reported a $200 million hit from Suicide Squad and an additional $100 million from MultiVersus. 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. Despite the challenges, Mortal Kombat 1 has seen over five million sales, and Warner Bros. continues to develop new titles, including a VR game, Batman: Arkham Shadow, and a Wonder Woman game at Monolith Productions.