The game director of MultiVersus has publicly addressed the "threats to harm" developers that surfaced following the announcement of the game's upcoming shutdown. Last week, Player First Games revealed that Season 5 would mark the end of the Warner Bros. brawler, with the MultiVersus servers scheduled to go offline in May, a mere year after its relaunch. Players will still have access to all earned and purchased content offline through local gameplay and training modes.

Although real-money transactions for MultiVersus have been discontinued, fans can continue to utilize Gleamium and character tokens to acquire in-game content until support concludes on May 30. Concurrently, MultiVersus will be removed from the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, Steam, and Epic Games Store.

The announcement, coupled with the absence of a refund policy, sparked outrage among MultiVersus players, particularly those who had purchased the $100 premium Founder's Pack. Many felt "scammed," and the situation was exacerbated by players who had accumulated character tokens they could no longer use, having already unlocked all available characters. As a result, MultiVersus has been subject to review bombing on Steam.

Tony Huynh, co-founder of Player First Games and game director of MultiVersus, took to social media to address player concerns and denounce the threats of violence directed at the development team. In his statement, Huynh expressed gratitude towards Warner Bros. Games, the developers at Player First Games and WB Games, and the IP holders for their trust. He highlighted the team's creativity and passion, and thanked players for their support, emphasizing that delighting and serving players is the core objective of Player First Games.

Huynh acknowledged the delay in addressing the situation, citing his focus on the game and the team. He appreciated the community's fan art, character ideas, and personal stories, which he said were a daily highlight for the team. He apologized for not including every player's favorite character, explaining the complexity behind character selection, including development time, community feedback, IP holder approvals, and cross-marketing opportunities.

He also shared the story of BananaGuard, a character created by the team out of enthusiasm and produced quickly over a weekend, showcasing how inspiration and team excitement can lead to new content without detracting from other developments.

Huynh clarified that he does not possess the unilateral power some might assume, emphasizing the collaborative nature of Player First Games where ideas from anyone are valued and encouraged. He hopes the community recognizes the team's efforts to listen and act, despite being limited by time and resources.

Addressing the threats, Huynh stressed that while everyone is entitled to their opinions, threats of harm cross a serious line. He expressed deep sorrow over the game's shutdown, noting that it was not due to a lack of care or effort from the team.

He encouraged players to enjoy Season 5 and continue supporting other platform fighter and fighting games, sharing how these games have positively impacted him and led to friendships and memorable experiences. He hoped that MultiVersus played a role in creating similar experiences for its players.

Huynh concluded by thanking the community for allowing the dream of MultiVersus to become a reality, even if for a shorter time than desired, and expressed honor in working with the Player First Games team to serve their community and players.

Player First Games community manager and game developer Angelo Rodriguez Jr. defended Huynh on social media, emphasizing that receiving threats of physical harm against him is unacceptable. Rodriguez praised Huynh's dedication to the game and the community, and urged players to consider the team's efforts and the improvements made for Season 5.

MultiVersus' closure adds to Warner Bros. Games' recent struggles, following the poor reception of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The departure of Warner Bros. Games boss David Haddad was announced amid these challenges. Warner Bros. Discovery reported significant financial losses from both games, totaling $300 million.

In a financial call, Warner Bros. Discovery President and CEO David Zaslav acknowledged the underperformance of the games division and announced a focus on four key franchises: Hogwarts Legacy, Mortal Kombat, Game of Thrones, and DC, with a particular emphasis on Batman. Despite the setbacks, Warner Bros. continues to work on new titles, including a sequel to Hogwarts Legacy and a Wonder Woman game, while NetherRealm Studios reported strong sales for Mortal Kombat 1 and teased future content.