“Underperforming” MultiVersus Blamed for WB Games Struggles

As a long-time fan who has witnessed the highs and lows of gaming, it’s always disheartening to see a game I love struggle. The return of MultiVersus was a beacon of hope for me, as it promised to bring together my favorite characters from various universes in a battle royale setting. However, the recent financial woes surrounding the game are concerning.

In 2024, the game MultiVersus returned to consoles and computers, following an almost year-long hiatus. Sadly, it appears that this break didn’t do the game much good. During a Warner Bros. earnings call (as reported by Video Games Chronicle), the company acknowledged a third quarter loss of over $100 million, which they attribute primarily to MultiVersus. Since MultiVersus is a free-to-play game, its sales numbers aren’t a reliable indicator of its success. However, Gunnar Wiedenfels, Warner Bros.’ CFO, hinted that the game isn’t generating the kind of profit that Warner Bros. needs at this time.

Wiedenfels stated that this quarter’s results were affected by games that required an additional $100+ million in impairment charges because of the underperformance of titles such as MultiVersus, leading to a total writedown of over $300 million in our gaming division this year. This has been the main contributor to the decrease in profit for our Studios this year.

Numerous elements can contribute to a game’s downfall; unfortunately, the extended 11-month outage of MultiVersus didn’t bode well for its return, sparking uncertainty among fans. However, over the past year, Warner Bros. has been diligent in generating public interest in the game. In 2024 alone, they rolled out a massive marketing campaign, including Happy Meal toys, an NHL collaboration, and even a comic crossover. This is far more promotion than most games receive, and MultiVersus players have also benefited from regular updates, with notable character additions like Beetlejuice, timed to coincide with the new movie. After its return, Steam concurrent numbers were robust, but they’ve since declined significantly. Regrettably, we can’t determine the level of interest on PlayStation and Xbox consoles at this time.

RELATED: MultiVersus Could Be Teasing Addition of Scorpion From Mortal Kombat

For the potential future of MultiVersus, it’s uncertain but certainly not promising, given recent developments. Warner Bros., evidently supportive of the game, even acquired Player First Games in July. Despite extensive promotion for MultiVersus this year, it appears that no company has successfully replicated the success formula of the Super Smash Bros. series, with games like MultiVersus, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale all failing to mimic Nintendo’s achievement.

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2024-11-11 18:10

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