It feels like MultiVersus just can't find the right formula. After originally arriving in 2022 and then being stripped away in 2023 ahead of a relaunch, it finally emerged again in May of this year... aaand, it's apparently not doing very well.
This is according to Warner Bros. Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels, who singled out MultVersus as part of a recent earnings call (thanks, IGN). The game is suggested to have been the worst performer for the company's gaming division this quarter:
"We took another $100 million plus impairment due to the underperforming releases, primarily MultiVersus this quarter, bringing total writedown year-to-date to over $300 million in our games business, a key factor in this year’s studio profit decline."
Although we haven't heard the call ourselves, IGN also mentions that Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions failed to make an impression during the third quarter of the year. And of course, much was said about the struggles of Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League earlier in 2024 - a game that supposedly lost the company around $200 million!
Compared to this time last year, the company's games revenue has declined by 31% - which is attributed to "the better performance of the prior year slate, mainly Mortal Kombat 1". Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav also admitted in the call that "[the games business] is substantially underperforming its potential right now".
Pretty rough news all around, then, but to be honest we've enjoyed a lot of these games! Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions is a ton of fun, Suicide Squad is kinda underrated, and MultiVersus is decent fun with friends. If none of these games are making money though, maybe it's time to go back to the drawing board - Hogwarts Legacy 2, anyone?
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know down in the comments section below.
Comments 16
I'm enjoying the game, and a lot of the problems at launch have been fixed or changed for the better. They're actively trying to make the grind for everything less painful while still giving you a reason to want to pay, which I don't envy having to find that balance, especially since Warner Bros is one of those companies that have ridiculous expectations for these smaller scale projects. Either way, I'm hyped for Raven and Marceline next Season.
Just let me buy the thing.
I like the game but the f2p nature bothers me so much I wont play it. Let me pay for the game with a fair roster and then I'll buy a character pass, and maybe even costume DLC.
Right now this game is getting £0.00 off me, give it a paid release and I'd pay £40-70 off me (depending on the included content).
@abe_hikura After shutting down for a year, can't really blame anyone for not spending money on it. Who knows when they'll shut it for good after this news. I agree with you. I'd rather have it like Nickelodeon Allstar Brawl where I can purchase the game outright. Sure, online would eventually get shut down and the game delisted, but I'd feel better knowing that I had the chance to play locally
@thefly0810 Actually, when the Beta went down, you COULD still play Local, the Lab, & the Tutorial Offline, and during that time all Characters and Cosmetics were unlocked. If/When WB pulls the plug, I could see their last updates be them trying to cram in as much stuff for offline use as they can.
I had a lot of fun with the open beta, but when it shut down so much time passed that I forgot about it. Tbh, this was the first time I've heard about it since probably the last article was written. Unfortunately with Overwatch and the First Descendant I don't have enough time for another battle pass.
It’s a great game, but the microtransactions are frustrating, the rollout of characters is slow and characters not having a finisher is a bummer.
@shoeses I was impressed that they did leave that during the break. I do hope they treat as a normal delisted game where you can still play it locally, because I do like the game. Hopefully it doesn't get removed like Concord on the PS5
It’s that SquareEnix delusional syndrome. ‘If our game doesn’t make One Trillion Dollars, it’s an underperforming failure.’
@Utena-mobile MultiVersus Battle Pass is a lot more manageable since the Dailies and Weeklies never expire. If you log-in almost every day for a Season just to get them, you can effectively finish it in one or two Sessions near the end.
Did WB even really advertise the relaunch of MultiVersus? It kind of just came back with a tweet announcing the return and that was all. At least, that's all I saw and I was going out of my way to find out info on the return.
BTW: Put MEGAS XLR in the game and you're going to get me to unwisely dump tons of money in for it. Coop/Jamie/Kiva voice acting included. I've NEVER stopped loving that show.
@Elbow chicks dig giant robots. 👍
Quidditch Champions is certainly the best of the bunch, in my opinion. I actually enjoy a casual match of it here and there. It’s a well made, if basic title.
Multiversus screwed itself by being a F2P title. Feels like a game people would’ve bought as a Smash clone rather than a grind-to-win F2P. When they repackaged the game, you’d have thought they saw this, but no, they sent it out to die. They learned nothing from the beta, so they get what they deserve, I suppose.
And Suicide Squad… should have sold less than Concord.
@Elbow The advertised the return with a random, quiet McDonalds tie-in I think??
@Markatron84 ROCK ON FOR THE MEGA SLUSH!
@shoeses Oh, I can do that. It would be as easy as logging in in the morning while brushing my teeth. Thank you for letting me know.
Hopefully there are some neat skins for Wonder Woman.
@Utena-mobile Np. The only thing I recommend you do during the daily login-in is claim the free daily item from the shop, as some of the challenges require that.
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