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?