MultiVersus is back, but it still has the same identity crisis

No game has been able to dethrone Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as the king of crossover fighting games, but Player First Games and WB Games’ MultiVersus is trying its best to take the throne.

This game is a melting pot of Warner Bros. properties. It’s a crossover fighting game where characters from DC Comics, Game of Thrones, Scooby-Doo, Friday the 13th, and more can square off in cartoonish battles. It was a hit upon its beta release in July 2022, but that attention quickly fizzled out in the months following its release. In a surprising move, WB decided to delist the beta in June 2023 in order to do more comprehensive reworks for a full relaunch in 2024.

That rerelease is imminent, and I was able to check the new version out and speak to its design director ahead of the launch. From a gameplay perspective, MultiVersus definitely feels like a more polished and intense fighting game now, but this rerelease does nothing to address its at times soulless presentation outside of battle. In fact, it worsens it.

MultiVersus adds Jason Voorhees and Agent Smith to its wacky roster
MultiVersus to shut down in June ahead of relaunch in 2024
MultiVersus adds Marvin the Martian and Game of Thrones stage in Season 2

A polished fighting game

MultiVersus relaunches on May 28, bringing gameplay reworks, improved netcode, and new modes, characters, and stages with it. During my preview playtime, I got to go hands-on with three new characters: The Joker from DC Comics, Banana Guard from Adventure Time, and Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th (once again proving MultiVersus isn’t afraid of weird IP pulls). I also experienced Rifts, the new PvP update that improves MultiVersus’ offerings for players who aren’t competitive-minded.

MultiVersus — Official Launch Trailer «Stars Collide. Pies Fly.»

It doesn’t feel like an entirely different game, but all the additions and the jump to Unreal Engine 5 do make it understandable why Player First Games and WB Games pulled MultiVersus of