A new challenger is approaching! As Nintendo ends support for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl takes the fighting game community by surprise, Warner Bros. announced its plans to step into the fray. WB owns many popular franchises — which were on full display in Space Jam: A New Legacy — and a fighting game offers the perfect way to showcase characters like Batman and Stephen Universe. Following several leaks, WB Games unveiled MultiVersus, a free-to-play Smash Bros. clone, and it lives up to expectations.
When is the MultiVersus release date?
When WB Games announced MultiVersus, it confirmed that it will be released in 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Is there a MultiVersus trailer?
Yes, there is. MultiVersus released a nearly four-minute first look video where the game’s Director walks players through the game’s concept, roster, free-to-play setup, and more. You can check it out for yourself below:
Is MultiVersus a Super Smash Bros. clone?
Yes, it is. MultiVersus is a “platform fighter,” which is a fighting game subgenre that puts an emphasis on movement and light platforming just as much as combat. It’s a concept that the original Super Smash Bros. established and games like PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, and now MultiVersus have built on.
MultiVersus specifically features customizable movesets for all of its characters and is mainly focused on 2 vs. 2 battles. That said, it will support 1 vs. 1 and 4-player free-for-all matches as well. WB Games also says the game will feature full cross-play, dedicated servers, and rollback netcode at launch, so it should be a smooth online experience.
It will also be a live service free-to-play title with seasonal updates that add new characters, customization options, and more. Unfortunately for WB Games, most of this information was leaked beforehand.
What are the MultiVersus leaks?
The game was first publicly hinted at in a Reddit post published on October 22, 2021. The post claimed that Mortal Kombat developer NetherRealm was working on a Super Smash Bros.-inspired platform fighter. It also teased some potential roster members and revealed that it’s a tag-team game that WB Games put into development after the success of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and memes about Shaggy going Ultra Instinct.
A WB trademark for the name “MultiVersus” was discovered shortly thereafter. VentureBeat journalist Jeff Grubb corroborated the leaks. He then went into more detail about the game in an article. While he affirmed MultiVersus’ existence, Grubb says that NetherRealm isn’t developing the game.
He noted that early testers think the game feels like it’s made on a tight budget and that WB Games is considering whether or not it wants to make MultiVersus free-to-play. After those two leaks, MultiVersus became an open secret in the fighting game community.
If that wasn’t enough, its existence became impossible to deny just days later on October 27 after another substantial leak from Hungrybox, who is a popular Smash Bros. content creator. He shared an image of the roster from the game itself in a now-delisted video from his channel.
As WB Games quickly took down the video, Hungrybox’s leak proved that these leaks are indeed real. WB Games would eventually reveal MultiVersus on November 18, 2021, affirming most of the leaks and revealing that new developer Player First Games is the team behind the project.
What characters are in the MultiVersus roster?
When MultiVersus was officially revealed, WB Games revealed several roster members. Unlike Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, all of these fighters have voice acting, and the developer got the actors most closely tied to these characters:
- Reindog (an original character voiced by Andrew Frankel)
- Steven Universe (voiced by Daniel DiVenere)
- Garnet (voiced by Estelle)
- Batman (voiced by Kevin Conroy)
- Harley Quinn (voiced by Tara Strong)
- Superman(voiced by George Newbern)
- Wonder Woman (voiced by Abby Trott)
- Finn (voiced by Jeremy Shada)
- Jake (voiced by John DiMaggio)
- Shaggy (voiced by Matthew Lillard)
- Bugs Bunny (voiced by Eric Bauza)
- Tom & Jerry (voiced by Eric Bauza)
- Arya Stark (voiced by Maisie Williams)
Thanks to the leaks, we have an idea of who some of the announced fighters are. The Reddit post that started it all says that Fred Flinstone, Mad Max, and Johnny Bravo will be included. It also says that Harry Potter and Ron are being considered but not implemented yet due to rights issues. Hungrybox’s leak confirms that Gandalf and Rick Sanchez are in the game as well.
Jeff Grubb also hinted that WB Games wants to add Space Jam characters like LeBron James as well. Whatever the final roster ends up looking like, MultiVersus undoubtedly has one of the weirdest character lineups ever for a fighting game.
How to sign up for MultiVersus playtests
Currently, players can sign up for MultiVersus playtests on the game’s website.
You’ll need to give WB your email, date of birth, and region and answer questions about which games you’ve played more than 40 hours of when you sign up. While you aren’t guaranteed to be picked for a playtest, it’s the only way you’ll be able to try MultiVersus early.
Keep in mind that the final release will be free-to-play, so everyone who is interested can try the game out eventually.
MultiVersus will be released for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S in 2022.
