MultiVersus finally launched fully after the open beta (which many did not know was an open beta) ended in June 2023, and although its return attracted over 100,000 players concurrent on Steam only, it also attracted many complaints.
Data from player tracking website SteamDB shows MultiVersus – the brawler from Warner Bros. where Gizmo from Gremlins, Rick and Morty, Lebron James, Batman, Arya Stark, Bugs Bunny, Shaggy, Tom and Jerry, Jason and many more can all battle it out – hit a 24-hour peak of 114,515 concurrent players on the day of its launch on May 28, 2024. It’s a good start for the free-to-play fighting game on PC (Sony and Microsoft don’t release player numbers for PlayStation and Xbox.)
However, not everyone is happy with the changes developer Player First Games made during the hiatus, and MultiVersus has fallen to an overall “mixed” perception on Steam following negative reviews. Changes to mechanics, removal of certain features, and inherent monetization are the main complaints, with some fans even saying that this final version of MultiVersus “feels more like a beta than a beta.”
“They removed more features than they added. The removed camera zoom and team color options are pretty crazy in my opinion, on top of a list of other really important changes like character lock even in the training field,” Reddit user Radbrad4333 wrote.
“When Marvel Rivals is in an alpha playtesting version and can launch with a competitive mode, a built-in tournament system, and relatively well-balanced characters, and this game launches like that after nearly six months of playtesting. public game… I don’t understand it They were supposed to learn from the beta and I know it’s early, but after playing most of the day it seems like a failure. .
MultiVersus was originally released in July 2022, but many didn’t realize its open beta status due to its battle pass and other microtransactions, additional downloadable characters, and more. After the game’s player count dropped to less than 1,000 concurrent players on Steam, Player First Games announced that the beta would end in June 2023.
“Throughout our open beta, we’ve worked hard to create the best gaming experience and we appreciate all the inspiration you’ve given us,” co-founder and game director Tony said at the time. Huynh. “Our open beta was an important learning opportunity for us and a stepping stone to the next phase of MultiVersus.”
But as myriad online players have noted, the full version of MultiVersus lacks several features of the beta. “Let’s ditch Warner Bros. and Player First Games for killing the offline scene by removing the entire offline roster,” Doinky420 said on Reddit. “Other honorable mentions include not being able to test out characters before purchasing them and removing options that people were building muscle memory with.”
Another article by sloppybuttons lists “everything that has changed for the worse since the beta period”, which includes battle changes like no ranking or reporting after battle, and mode changes like removing battles cooperatives against AI and the lack of a free-for-all mode with items. It also shows more loading screens, removed input options, and more.
Players are also frustrated with the economy in this version of MultiVersus. Despite being a free-to-play game (with a battle pass and other microtransactions allowing players to purchase skins and new characters), many players are complaining about the major changes to how the game works. monetization.
A cheaper character tier available for 1,500 Fighter Currency (one of the in-game currencies) is no longer available, with each character now costing between 3,000 and 6,000 each, or between 1,000 and 1,250 Gleamium (the main premium currency purchased with real money). ). Cheaper players can purchase Gleamium in a pack of 450 for $4.99, while its most expensive and budget-friendly pack contains 6,000 and costs $49.99.
These packs have also caused frustration because a rare skin costs 500 Gleamium, meaning the cheapest pack at $4.99 doesn’t offer enough for players to purchase one. This is a common technique used to maintain player spending. “Scummy as hell,” wrote IWantTheDomoHat. “No one wants to spend $10 on what should be a $5 skin. Please change it to 500 Gleamium. I think I can say on behalf of everyone that this is absurd.”
Only five characters are also available for free at launch, and the rest of the roster must be unlocked with Fighter Currency, which can be earned by completing missions, seasonal events, single-player Rifts and the Battle Pass, or with Gleamium. Players who want to immediately obtain the complete roster must therefore pay, using the cheapest options available, $155.
This will give players access to all characters, but not the vast collection of skins, announcer packs, animated ringtones, profile icons, etc., all of which are available at an additional cost. A bundle including a skin, stance, emotes, voiceover, and ringtone for Shaggy is currently available for sale for 2,444 Gleamium instead of 3,325. Players who purchase the $20 Gleamium bundle will find themselves, again once, just below that amount with a total of 2,200.
This pack is also the cheapest of the many on offer, with others costing as much as 3,390 Gleamium on sale or 4,525 usually. This one includes a banner in addition to what’s included in the Shaggy pack and would cost players $35 at its discounted price or $45 usually.
“They spent a year making literally everything worse in terms of gameplay and implementing f**king currencies, stories, FOMO and mobile game level gems for player versus everyone upgrades,” a writes Patrick on Steam. “So much potential wasted due to baffling decisions and corporate greed,” another user wrote.
“They locked the ability to test characters and skins in practice, removed our universal currency of gold and replaced it with three different (mobile gaming) currencies, including “prestige”, which is basically a VIP system Pay more money, get more prestige currency, use prestige currency to unlock the most wanted cosmetics.
MultiVersus still attracted a good number of players despite these complaints, but Player First Games knows from experience that those numbers can drop quickly. Fans therefore hope that he will respond quickly to the community’s complaints.
Ryan Dinsdale is a freelance journalist for IGN. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.