MultiVersus Dev Mourns Game, Condemns Threats After Shutdown

The game director of MultiVersus, Tony Huynh, has publicly addressed the disturbing "threats to harm" developers that surfaced following the announcement of the game's shutdown. Last week, Player First Games revealed that Season 5 would mark the end of the Warner Bros. brawler, with servers set to go offline in May, just a year after its relaunch. Players will still have access to all their earned and purchased content through offline local gameplay and training modes.

With real-money transactions for MultiVersus no longer available, fans can continue to use Gleamium and character tokens to access in-game content until support ends on May 30. At that time, MultiVersus will also be removed from digital storefronts including the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, Steam, and Epic Games Store.

The announcement, coupled with the absence of a refund policy, led to a backlash from players who had purchased the $100 premium Founder's Pack. Many felt "scammed," particularly those with character tokens that became useless after unlocking all playable characters. As a result, MultiVersus has been review-bombed on Steam.

In response, Tony Huynh, co-founder of Player First Games and game director of MultiVersus, took to Twitter to address player concerns and condemn the threats of violence directed at the team. In his statement, Huynh expressed gratitude to Warner Bros. Games, the developers, IP holders, and players. He apologized for not addressing the situation sooner, highlighted the team's passion and creativity, and acknowledged the pain felt by everyone involved.

Huynh also explained the complexities of character selection and development, citing the example of BananaGuard, which was created out of team enthusiasm. He emphasized that Player First Games is a collaborative team focused on delivering value to players and stressed the limitations of time and resources.

Addressing the threats, Huynh stated, "You're entitled to what you say and think, but when there are threats to harm, it's crossing the line." He expressed hope that players would enjoy Season 5 and continue supporting other platform fighter and fighting games, reflecting on the positive impact these games have had on his life.

Player First Games community manager and game developer Angelo Rodriguez Jr. also defended Huynh on Twitter, denouncing the threats of physical harm and highlighting Huynh's dedication to the game and community. Rodriguez emphasized the team's efforts to improve the game and encouraged players to read Huynh's full statement.

MultiVersus' closure adds to a series of challenges for Warner Bros. Games, following the poor performance 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 pressure on the company. Warner Bros. Discovery reported a $200 million hit from Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and an additional $100 million from MultiVersus.

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. has already released Batman: Arkham Shadow for VR and is working on a Wonder Woman game, aiming to improve success with proven studios and core franchises.