Loading up MultiVersus last night felt different. The once-bustling platform fighter where Batman could square off against LeBron James now carries an air of finality. Warner Bros. just announced that Season 5 will be the game's last hurrah, with servers going offline after May 30th, 2025.
I can't help but remember the electric energy at launch - matches filled with Bugs Bunny mains perfecting their combos, Arya Stark players hunting for kills, and endless debates about Wonder Woman's shield mechanics. Now, like many live service games before it, MultiVersus is preparing for its final round.
Their announcement of the shutdown is especially impactful in light of recent happenings at Warner Bros. The publisher appears to be stepping back from live service games after the troubled debut of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Quidditch Champions' difficulty in recreating the charm that boosted Hogwarts Legacy's success.David Haddid's departure as Warner Bros. Games boss after 12 years feels like the end of an era.
For players still dropping into matches, Season 5 kicks off February 4th with two final additions to the roster: DC's Aquaman and Looney Tunes' Lola Bunny. The in-game currency store is already closed, though you can still spend any remaining Gleamium until the season wraps up. After May 30th, the game will vanish from digital stores but remain playable offline "for the foreseeable future."
The team at Player First Games, which Warner Bros. acquired last summer during their push toward free-to-play titles, shared a heartfelt message to the community: "We want to thank every player and person who has ever played or supported MultiVersus. All of us on the Player First Games and Warner Bros. Games teams have poured our heart and soul into MultiVersus"
This closure adds another chapter to Warner Bros.' complicated relationship with live service games. Last year, the company signaled a change away from what they called the "volatile" AAA space, focusing instead on mobile and free-to-play titles. That strategy now seems to be evolving yet again.
The shutdown announcement comes with its share of controversy too. Recently, Charlie the Unicorn creator Jason Steele called out Warner Bros. for allegedly using audio from his viral internet short in a MultiVersus advertisement without permission - a fitting but unfortunate footnote in the game's final chapter.
For those who want one last match, you can still download MultiVersus until May 30th. Even after servers go dark, previously installed copies will remain playable offline. It's a small consolation for a game that once dreamed of being the next big platform fighter, now joining the growing list of live service games that couldn't quite go the distance.
