What happened to MultiVersus? Why it disappeared, and when it's coming back

What happened to MultiVersus? Why it disappeared, and when it's coming back
Images via WB Games

Written by 

Dave McAdam

Published 

13th May 2024 15:55

If you have been curious about what happened to MultiVersus, allow us to get you up to speed. The Warner Bros. platform fighter has had a tumultuous time in the spotlight since its early access launch.

Fans were shocked when the game disappeared last year, but the date of its return is fast approaching. Here is the full story of what happened to MultiVersus.

From early access to shutting down

A MultiVersus match featuring Shaggy, Rick, and Bugs Bunny
Click to enlarge

After months of leaks and rumours, MultiVersus was confirmed by Warner Bros. Games in November 2021. It saw a limited early access release in July of 2022, before launching into open beta on July 26. This was considered by many to be a soft launch of the game, with the gameplay trailer stating "MultiVersus hits Open Beta on July 26 and then we’re here to stay."

It certainly seemed unlikely to be a limited-time beta, as fans could purchase various founder's editions to gain access. These included the Premium Founder's Pack, which cost up to $100. Regardless, the game did indeed get taken down from digital stores on June 25, 2023.

While those who had already bought or downloaded the game continued to have access to it, all online features were disabled. This understandably left many fans angry and upset, particularly those who had paid for the game as no refunds were offered.

To explain, the developer published a blog detailing the reasons for the game's removal. Simply put, the changes that it wanted to make ahead of the full release necessitated the game be taken down.

When is MultiVersus coming back?

Wonder Woman's new Unreal Engine 5 character model in MultiVersus
Click to enlarge

As promised, MultiVersus will return for the full release of the game on May 28, 2024. With the release coming up we now know a bit more about why the shutdown was required. One of the big reasons was that the game has moved to Unreal Engine 5, bringing a major upgrade to the game's visuals.

The netcode has been upgraded, and new characters, such as Mark Hamill's Joker, are on the way. It was unfortunate that the game had to go away for nearly a year, but hopefully, fans will find that the full version was worth the wait when it launches later this month.

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That is it for what happened to MultiVersus; its rise, disappearance and eventual return. For more, head to our MultiVersus homepage where we have guides for characters like Marvin the Martian, Black Adam, Stripe, Gizmo, and more.

Dave McAdam
About the author
Dave McAdam
Dave is a Senior Guides Writer at GGRecon, after several years of freelancing across the industry. He covers a wide range of games, with particular focus on shooters like Destiny 2, RPGs like Baldur's Gate 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, and fighting games like Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8.
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