Back in March, fans learned that MultiVersus would be going offline this June until its full launch in early 2024. While the beta was a hit when it first released, and its free to play model helped to bring in over 20 million players, its success was short-lived. With the game now offline, the developers need to find a way to course correct and bring players back to the game upon its return. When MultiVersus comes back, it needs to make a statement if it hopes to enjoy success and flourish once more.
There are numerous reasons that the MultiVersus player count dropped off over the course of its open beta. The game received new characters at an agonizingly slow pace, with Marvin the Martian being the last new character back in November. Couple this with a drought of new stages, an underwhelming battle pass that met derision from fans and a general lack of new content, and it's easy to see why the game struggled. MultiVersus also lacks a substantial single-player offering, meaning that players who want to get the most out of the game are forced to play online, an issue only made worse by the diminishing player base.
How Can MultiVersus Make A Comeback?
The first thing MultiVersus can do to make its return a success is to add new characters and stages. When the game comes back online, it needs to have multiple new characters and stages on day one to pull players back in. Not only does there need to be new characters there on launch, the developers need to commit to consistently adding new fighters. MultiVersus crossovers have the highest potential of any current fighting game, and the developers need to take better advantage of the properties available to them with new characters and stages more often. Consistency will be key in retaining players.
Season 2 of MultiVersus also failed to keep players around due in part to its battle pass. The free pass had many empty tiers, and the premium battle pass lacked any gleamium, the game's premium currency. This goes against the grain of other free to play games which give the player enough currency to purchase the next premium pass if they complete their current one. The battle pass also took a long time to complete, leading to an extended MultiVersus Season 2. This combined with lackluster items failed to hold players interest. The next battle pass needs to be faster to complete and provide better rewards and gleamium.
MultiVersus Needs More Game Modes
Most importantly, the developers need to expand the array of game modes in MultiVersus. As of the shutdown, its single-player offerings are sparse. If the game wants to make a splash when it returns, it needs to add some form of story driven content that appeals to non-competitive players. Since MultiVersus enjoys crossovers from some of the most iconic franchises in the world, the developers need to take advantage and build stories around its characters. One form this could take is an expanded arcade mode with character intros and outros, similar to those found in the Street Fighter games, giving players stories for their favorite characters.
The more exciting option for single-player content however would be a story mode. A MultiVersus story mode would be a huge addition, offering players a chance to see the game's iconic cast interact. Seeing how characters like Shaggy from Scooby-Doo and Arya Stark from Game of Thrones might get along has a ton of potential, and with the capacity to keep adding new characters over time, there could be an ever expanding story mode filled with fan favorites from dozens of series. A strong single-player offering combined with new characters and stages and a commitment to consistent content could be just what MultiVersus needs to make a massive statement with its return.
MultiVersus will launch in 2024 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S
