Latest news with #MultiVersus
Gizmodo
01-06-2025
- Business
- Gizmodo
‘MultiVersus' Shows the Limits of IP Crossover Bonanzas
If every property is crossing over with each other these days, do "new" attempts like 'MultiVersus' truly stand a chance? This weekend marks the end of a short, but strange era: MultiVersus, a platform fighter featuring a bunch of Warner Bros. characters, has shut down. The game was intended as a hopeful rival to Super Smash Bros., and after a promising start, WB has cut bait about a year after its full relaunch. That MultiVersus died isn't really a surprise these days; the mid-2020s have featured a wave of multiplayer games being shut down or losing support not long after they launch. Babylon's Fall, Crossfire X, Gundam Evolution, and WB's own Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League are just a handful of examples. But depending on who you ask, Player First's platform fighter had plenty of fingers to blame for its end. Some attribute it to the full game's monetization, others the difference in how it played between its year-long open beta and its 1.0 release in 2024. Some think it all boiled down to the roster; WB owns a lot of IP, and clearly the aim was to get a selection of characters that would appeal to everyone. But that broadness means for every general A-lister like Batman or LeBron James (seriously), you've got what could generously be considered B or C-listers in Gremlins and supporting Adventure Time characters. To those who've grown up with fighting games, Player First did the game a disservice without any other DC heavy hitters (your Flashes, Robins, etc.) or Cartoon Network kings like Ben 10, Gumball, and Dexter. There's a certain degree of truth there—no doubt people would've paid to become teenage Ben 10, shift to Rath and subsequently pummel Superman into the pavement—but the bigger problem is the core concept of Multiversus is no longer special. When crossovers first happened between IP, it tended to feel like a genuine surprise to see characters from different worlds hang out. Those born in the 90s probably have a special place in their heart for the likes of Jimmy/Timmy Power Hour, Kim Possible teaming with Lilo & Stitch and Billy and Mandy getting mixed up with the Kids Next Door. The best thing working in their favor was how rare they felt: Jimmy/Timmy was an annualized trilogy, but these otherwise came and went before the shows got back to what they normally did. In the 2020s, that's not really the case, as studios like WB and Disney want these meetings of the media to always feel big, attention-grabbing events that the surprise is lost. Of course WB wants to bring the IP it owns together, it spent about half of Space Jam: A New Legacy stating as such with the subtlety of a Rick & Morty episode piledriving a bit into the ground. Before and during MultiVersus' life, we've seen Batman and Marvel cross over with Fortnite, horror movie characters enter Mortal Kombat, hunt monsters as Aloy and Geralt of Rivia, and gotten into street fights as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Overwatch heroes. The last two Call of Duty games have added the Turtles, Squid Game soldiers, WWE stars, and Paul Atreides are post-launch DLC for players to pay money for. Many have, but there's an equal amount of players who think the increasing array of IP skins borders on excessive and at worse, worsens the game. Activision's reportedly taking a more restrained approach going forward, but suffice to say, players aren't exactly hard up to see their favorite characters kill one another. Like Suicide Squad before it, MultiVersus was ultimately a victim of WB chasing and trying to force its way into a space in the hopes of making money. It's a shame Player First took the biggest hit of all—following the game's full launch, WB subsequently bought the studio, and it's now closed alongside its game. Meanwhile, crossovers still persist: DC is about to let some of its characters hang out with Marvel for the first time in 20 years, and Netherrealm will likely get some IP characters for its next project, which many are certain will be Injustice 3. In the same way the number must go up, the crossovers will persist until there's no more worlds to collide.
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
When is MultiVersus shutting down?
Finally, the story of MultiVersus finally comes to an end. There has been a lot going on in the world of this multiplayer title. The genre was already hugely overcrowded, where the Warner Bros. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Games title's short stay proves how tough this category has become. Similar thing was thought about Marvel Rivals too, but it turned the tables over everyone's head, and still is the best multiplayer gamer in the market right now, even after over nine months of its release. However, another title of this genre, Concord, met with the same fate as MultiVersus. MultiVersus is officially shutting down today It's an end of MultiVersus. | Image via Warner Bros. Games. After a rough journey of one year, it's time to bid adieu MultiVersus. In January, it was already announced that Warner Bros. is going to shut this game down. There were rumors too about its potential revivals which raised some hope for its fans, but unfortunately those never came into reality. MultiVersus is officially shutting down today at 9 AM PT/ 12 PM ET. The game enjoyed its short stay in the gaming world which consisted of a total of five seasons. The last season also brought Lola Bunny from Looney Tunes and Aquaman from DC as playable characters in the game for a final push. But nothing could save the game at all. Actually, it's quite tough to stay in the market in the live-service segment if the game offers no unique aspect. And this is exactly what happened to MultiVersus. It's also a pretty tough time for Warner Bros. as far as their gaming wing is concerned. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was already major blow from the company as it never touched the sales expectations, forget exceeding it unlike other Rocksteady studios. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Amidst this situation, the failure of MultiVersus is absolutely devastating. This scenario could be explained well when it was revealed that Warner Bros. acquired Player First Games for MultiVersus and spent around a freaking $200 million to make this game. But all in vain. Players are advised to spend all the available in-game currencies (Glamium) in their inventories, because we are now a few hours from the game's demise. Although, those who have logged into the game after February 4 will still be able to enjoy the offline mode of the game. However, the core aspect of the game was its live-service model, and not being able to complete the $100 Founder's Pass is hugely disappointing for the fans. Read More:
Metro
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Mortal Kombat 1 DLC is officially over as developer teases next project
NetherRealm has confirmed there will be no more DLC characters for Mortal Kombat 1 following disappointing sales. Mortal Kombat is still the best-selling fighting game franchise in the world, but the latest entry fell short of its usual sales expectations. The latest game, titled Mortal Kombat 1, was a reboot of the series set in a new timeline, where classic characters like Raiden, Sub-Zero, and Johnny Cage possessed reworked origin stories and aesthetics. While the game itself was mechanically solid, it clearly didn't connect with fans in the same way as its predecessor, Mortal Kombat 11. The latter managed to sell over 15 million copies during its lifetime, whereas Mortal Kombat 1, as of January this year, has sold 5 million. After rumours emerged last year of an early cut to DLC support, developer NetherRealm has confirmed there will be no more extra characters or expansions for Mortal Kombat 1. 'We are hearing players' requests for continued game support of Mortal Kombat 1, and, while we will continue to support Mortal Kombat 1 through balance adjustments and fixes, there will not be additional DLC characters or story chapters released from this point on,' a post on X reads. 'We understand this will be disappointing for fans, but our team at NetherRealm needs to shift focus to the next project in order to make it as great as we possibly can.' We are hearing players' requests for continued game support of Mortal Kombat 1, and, while we will continue to support Mortal Kombat 1 through balance adjustments and fixes, there will not be additional DLC characters or story chapters released from this point on. — Mortal Kombat 1 (@MortalKombat) May 23, 2025 The last DLC character for Mortal Kombat 1 was the T-1000 from Terminator 2: Judgement Day, which rolled out in March following last year's Khaos Reigns expansion. Earlier this month, a definitive edition combining all the DLC was released. NetherRealm hasn't announced what its next project actually is, but a dataminer recently suggested the studio is working on the next entry in the Injustice franchise. multiversus shutting down is an injustice, then doing it all again is another injusticeleaving me without any leaks is yet again another injustice — MultiverSusie (@multiversusie) May 17, 2025 In a post on X earlier this month, dataminer MultiverSusie, who is known for MultiVersus leaks, wrote: 'MultiVersus shutting down is an injustice, then doing it all again is another injustice. Leaving me without any leaks is yet again another Injustice. 3.' More Trending If true, this would be the first entry in the series since 2017's Injustice 2. The series takes place in an alternate reality within the DC Universe, where Superman has become an evil tyrant, and features a roster of fighters ranging from Wonder Woman to Black Adam. Prior to Injustice, NetherRealm developed a DC crossover fighter titled Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, which was released in 2008 on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Rumours of a new Injustice game have floated around for years, but the timing might be right for a new instalment to coincide with DC's revamped cinematic universe, which starts with Superman this summer. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Nintendo Direct set for around Switch 2 launch claims insider MORE: The Last Of Us season 2 was a mixed bag and I'm worried about season 3 MORE: Resident Evil 9 began as 'open world multiplayer game' as insider reveals scrapped sequel
Scottish Sun
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Two major games enjoyed by 35 million players are shutting down in DAYS – spend currency now before it's lost forever
See a full list of more games closing down this year - including a top title next month GAME OVER Two major games enjoyed by 35 million players are shutting down in DAYS – spend currency now before it's lost forever Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A PAIR of games enjoyed by more than 35million players at their peak will go dark in a matter of days. Servers for the two titles are set to be switched off, making it impossible for people to continuing accessing them online. 2 Dauntless will no longer be available from May 29 onward Credit: Phoenix Labs 2 MultiVersus is also going offline Credit: Warner Bros Games Dauntless is the first to bow out, on May 29. At its peak, the free-to-play action role-playing game enjoyed 15million active players. But six years after launching, developers said there had been a "decline of active players". They blamed the drop off on "negative public reception of TK" (team kill). But players have pointed the finger at changes in ownership of the company behind Dauntless which they say "ruined the game". "The game is nothing like I remember it when it first launched," one previous fan wrote on Reddit. As such, servers will close on all platforms - PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch and PC - on May 29. But it's not the only gaming casualty in May. On May 30, the MultiVersus title will also go offline. The free-to-play crossover fighting game features characters from popular Warner Bros franchises, including Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo and Cartoon Network. At its height, the title had 20million players but only a year later numbers waned leading to MultiVersus's online functionality being discontinued. While the servers are closing, players who already have the game installed will still be able to use it offline instead. "After careful consideration, our next Season will serve as the final seasonal content update for the game," developers said. "All online features will continue to be available until Season 5 concludes on May 30 at 9 a.m. PDT. "At that point, there will be an option to play MultiVersus offline via the local gameplay mode, either solo against A.I. opponents or with up to three friends." Watch trailer for doomed Ubisoft shooter game set to close down in weeks More game closures this year Online games are routinely shut down as user numbers drop. Here's a list of other games closing this year to take note of: xDefiant - June 3 The First Descendant - June 19 Black Desert - June 26 Resident Evil ReVerse - June 29 Madden NFL 21 - June 30 Arizona Sunshine - July 1 Skyworld - July 1 Danmachi Battle Chronicle - September 29 WWE 2K24 - September 30 Madden NFL 22 - October 20 PGA Tour 2K21 - October 30 NBA 2K24 - December 31
The Sun
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Two major games enjoyed by 35 million players are shutting down in DAYS – spend currency now before it's lost forever
A PAIR of games enjoyed by more than 35million players at their peak will go dark in a matter of days. Servers for the two titles are set to be switched off, making it impossible for people to continuing accessing them online. 2 2 Dauntless is the first to bow out, on May 29. At its peak, the free-to-play action role-playing game enjoyed 15million active players. But six years after launching, developers said there had been a "decline of active players". They blamed the drop off on "negative public reception of TK" (team kill). But players have pointed the finger at changes in ownership of the company behind Dauntless which they say "ruined the game". "The game is nothing like I remember it when it first launched," one previous fan wrote on Reddit. As such, servers will close on all platforms - PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch and PC - on May 29. But it's not the only gaming casualty in May. On May 30, the MultiVersus title will also go offline. The free-to-play crossover fighting game features characters from popular Warner Bros franchises, including Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo and Cartoon Network. At its height, the title had 20million players but only a year later numbers waned leading to MultiVersus's online functionality being discontinued. While the servers are closing, players who already have the game installed will still be able to use it offline instead. "After careful consideration, our next Season will serve as the final seasonal content update for the game," developers said. "All online features will continue to be available until Season 5 concludes on May 30 at 9 a.m. PDT. "At that point, there will be an option to play MultiVersus offline via the local gameplay mode, either solo against A.I. opponents or with up to three friends." Watch trailer for doomed Ubisoft shooter game set to close down in weeks More game closures this year Online games are routinely shut down as user numbers drop. Here's a list of other games closing this year to take note of: xDefiant - June 3 The First Descendant - June 19 Black Desert - June 26 Resident Evil ReVerse - June 29 Madden NFL 21 - June 30 Arizona Sunshine - July 1 Skyworld - July 1 Danmachi Battle Chronicle - September 29 WWE 2K24 - September 30 Madden NFL 22 - October 20 PGA Tour 2K21 - October 30 NBA 2K24 - December 31 WHY DO GAMES CLOSE? By Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun With most games online these days, tech companies need to maintain quite hefty servers to manage everything. It's no cheap business to operate with millions of gamers across the world. Naturally, people move on, leaving older games behind in the process. There comes a point where it's no longer viable to continue offering server access so studios shut them down. For some games that are entirely online this can render it completely useless. But others may have a way for you to continue playing solo still. You should usually see a prominent notification in the game warning you with instructions on what to do - provided you're still playing the game of course. Image credit: Alamy
