MultiVersus Pre-Launch Transition Closure Could Kill the…

The open beta of MultiVersus is set to close soon, but the game could be in danger of dying out before its proper release comes to pass. While MultiVersus garnered an incredible amount of hype pre-release, enthusiasm for the game has cooled significantly in the time since. The beta closing, leaving players unable to play for months on end, has a significant chance of adding to the risks that the game is already facing. While the planned closure is to make sure that the game is ready for its proper release, there may not be many players left.

It was announced recently that MultiVersus will be closing down the open beta of the game that has been running since August 15, 2022. The game is set to be closed for at least six months while the developers take feedback collected over the course of the last few months to work on the areas where players have determined the game needs improvement, although the exact time is still unknown. A game going offline between the beta test and the actual release is nothing unusual in the industry. In fact, the recent open beta of Diablo 4 was put in place for the same reason.

MultiVersus' Months-Long Shutdown Will Leave The Game In An Unenviable Position

The first problem with MultiVersus' planned shutdown is its length. Although MultiVersus' season 2 was extended, after the shutdown it is not planned to come back until 2024, and players will be unable to interact with it at all during that period. Those who have been avidly playing the game have had it readily available for months already. For those players, suddenly having the game close right from under them doesn't seem like something to look forward to. Not to mention, there is a lot that can happen between the closing of the beta and MultiVersus' proper release, including the releases of several big new games.

Another element that adds to MultiVersus' concerns should be the state of the fanbase. MultiVersus has lost most of its players who joined at the start of the beta, which is a devastating blow for a live-service game. The news of the beta closing soon is likely to discourage new players from picking up the game as well, since they know they will lose access to it in a matter of months. Those elements combined make it likely that the player count will continue to dwindle until the game closes. MultiVersus will need to rely on another burst of hype to regain similar numbers upon release.

Of extra note is the fact that despite launching as a beta, MultiVersus had several features usually exclusive to full games. MultiVersus already had a Battle Pass in place, as well as microtransactions for in-game currency and items. This has the potential to be a double-edged sword. On one hand, players who already spent money on the game could be more inclined to come back once it officially releases in order to get their money's worth. On the other, some could be annoyed and refuse to return for that same reason. Either way, it was an unusual move for MultiVersus to make.

By the time MultiVersus' beta comes to a close, it is likely to be in a precarious position. For all of the early enthusiasm that surrounded MultiVersus and its roster of iconic characters, it is now a game whose future is in serious question. With a wide gap between the end of the beta and the game's final release, the developers will need to find a way to either keep existing players excited or stir up a new wave of hype through methods such as improved gameplay footage and new character reveals. Even so, MultiVersus' extended downtime carries a strong risk of killing the game before it truly begins.