Another live service dies as WB is ending MultiVersus with Season 5

How are you digging Multiversus? I hope it’s not a lot, because WB has announced that the upcoming Season 5 will be its last. That means after its run from February 4, 2025 to May 30, 2025, the game will be delisted.

The statement reads: “As of today, January 31, real money transactions will no longer be available for MultiVersus, which means you can no longer purchase Gleamium, but you can still use remaining Gleamium or character tokens to access in-game content until Season 5 ends on May 30 at 9 a.m. PST. Additionally, when Season 5 finishes, the game will no longer be available to download via the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, Steam, or Epic Games Store.​”

The statement also mentions that the online services for the game will also cease on May 30. They state that the game will be playable offline, but only if you log in while the season is running. Wow, that’s screwed up. The game is free-to-play, so all you need to do to keep it is download it and log in on whatever platforms you want to play it on, but if you miss that window – even if you paid for anything in the store – then you’re out of luck. I have to wonder why they don’t just release an offline version for it afterward.

I mean, for that matter, they also say, “After Season 5, players will have an option to enjoy MultiVersus offline via the local gameplay mode, either solo against A.I. opponents or with up to three players, as well as the training mode (The Lab), with all characters unlocked and playable.”

So, the moral of the story is that you should download it while you have the chance.

MultiVersus rocketed off to a successful start in its beta, but the player numbers dropped significantly afterward. Despite being in beta, the game already saw multiple seasons, adding new characters and accepting microtransactions. Then, in June 2023, it was announced that the game was shutting down. It was supposedly just going to be a temporary hiatus, but it seemed suspect. Doubters were proven wrong when the game came right back in March 2024 to renewed popularity.

I never played it, but I always heard it was decent. However, when it comes to live service games, it’s been proven that “decent” just isn’t good enough. By design, the format requires people to be fully absorbed and dedicated, and most folks don’t have room in their lives (and their evenings) to just one. Typically, the one their friends already play.

But publishers continue to chase the allure of Fortnite’s success, and we keep seeing the bodies pile up. With recent failures like Concord still in the rearview mirror, it doesn’t even seem like things are slowing down.

One question still unanswered is how this will affect the developer, Player First Games, which was acquired by WB last year. According to the FAQ, “We do not have any announcements or updates on Player First Games to share at this time.” Let’s hope for the best.