Summary
- MultiVersus is making a return on May 28, 2024, but may face challenges due to a crowded gaming release schedule.
- MultiVersus is sandwiched in between Hellblade 2 and Paper Mario, as well as Destiny 2: The Final Shape and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.
- Despite facing competition, MultiVersus has the advantage of an existing fanbase and unique gameplay as a platform fighter, as none of its big competitors are part of the fighting genre.
It was all looking good for MultiVersus when it announced its return at the start of March. After taking an almost year-long hiatus, MultiVersus is finally ready to return to consoles and PC, leaving its early access status behind and releasing fully on May 28, 2024. After months of teases, this announcement was met with a pretty warm reception from fans, especially with it coming hot off the heels of a year of excellent fighting game releases. But a few things have changed since MultiVersus' comeback announcement, and a few spanners might have just been thrown in the works.
Released into early access back in July 2022, MultiVersus made a pretty big splash upon its initial debut, being a surprisingly solid platform fighter with an extensive roster of iconic characters. But over the course of the next year or so, the hype surrounding MultiVersus died down, largely thanks to the game's overabundance of microtransactions. And though fans are excited for MultiVersus' imminent return, it still has a steep uphill battle ahead of it, and the last thing it needs is a packed runway.
MultiVersus' Relaunch is Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place
MultiVersus is finally relaunching, and while that may result in a fantastic fighting game, the ship might have already sailed on this title.
MultiVersus' Return Might Face Some Problems
MultiVersus' Release Window Is Far From Clear
At the time of writing, MultiVersus is currently the only major video game release occurring on May 28, 2024, but that doesn't mean that the game has a clear slate ahead of it. In fact, it's actually quite the opposite, with some pretty huge video games dropping both immediately before and after MultiVersus. May is a surprisingly packed month for video games, with Prison Architect 2 kicking off the month strong on May 7, V Rising getting its full release a day later, and Homeworld 3 finally receiving its long-awaited release on May 13. And that's just the first half of the month.
The second half of the month is set to receive Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, one of Xbox's biggest exclusives of the entire year, on May 21. The excellent System Shock remake is getting its console release on the same day. And finally, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - a remaster of one of the most beloved cult classic Nintendo games - is dropping on May 23. That's already quite the stacked line-up for May, and MultiVersus has to come after all that and more.
To make matters worse, MultiVersus doesn't get much leeway at the other end of its release window either. Just a few days after its release, MultiVersus is likely to be immediately overshadowed by Destiny 2: The Final Shape, an expansion that's been in the works for quite some time and has a lot riding on it. And if Destiny 2 doesn't cut MultiVersus' comeback short, then June 21's Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree expansion is sure to finish the job, being one of the most anticipated releases of the entire year.
While MultiVersus still has a decent amount of room to breathe, its release window is overlapping with some pretty major heavy hitters, many of which are likely to dominate the general gaming ecosphere for quite some time. For a live-service game like MultiVersus, where finding and retaining an immediate audience is imperative, being overshadowed even a little could be detrimental.
MultiVersus Has Already Proven Itself
But MultiVersus isn't without its own merits. One big advantage that MultiVersus has in its release window fight is that it's already a known factor. With MultiVersus having already garnered a sizable audience a few years ago, it's likely that it'll be able to bring those players back within its first few days of release. And in being a fighting game, MultiVersus will inherently stand out from the games releasing either side of it, being the only major release in that genre in both May and June.
MultiVersus
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 76 /100 Critics Rec: 68%
- Released
- May 28, 2024
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Fantasy Violence, Language
- Developer(s)
- Player First Games
- Publisher(s)
- Warner Bros. Games
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- PC Release Date
- May 28, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
CHARACTERS: Choose from Bugs Bunny, Batman, Arya Stark, Rick Sanchez, and many more. In MultiVersus, every star brings their unique moves, worlds and attitudes to fight. And as the roster expands, so does the spectacle — with new personalities and play styles turning up the heat in every battle.
MAPS: Our maps turn legendary realms like the Batman’s Bat Cave, Jake and Finn’s Treefort, Game of Thrones’ Throne Room into epic battle grounds. And the best part? We’re adding new maps regularly, so the party never stops!
MODES: Whether you’re seeking the intensity of 1v1, the frenzy of a 4-player mayhem, or team up for strategic 2v2 battles, we’ve got you covered. Plus, introducing an all new PvE mode, a thrilling realm of limitless combat possibilities designed for solo or co-op play.
CROSS-PLATFORM: MultiVersus has full cross-play and cross-progression support across all platforms.
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
