Brand new platform fighter MultiVersus is already hitting huge player numbers and nearing to tops of console charts.
After a launching into open beta yesterday, the new fighting game from Warner Bros. has seen some staggering numbers – reaching a peak of 144,456 concurrent players yesterday on Steam alone. This puts the game ahead of the likes of Warframe, Rust, and even Destiny 2.
The free-to-play multiversal crossover game, starring the likes of Batman, Bugs Bunny, and Shaggy, has already proven to be an extremely popular alternative to Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. And even without console figures, the game’s Beta launch is doing ridiculous numbers.
Multiversus might have just become the most played fighting game in recorded history. Without console numbers and several servers currently down. Might be closer to 200k with all platforms.
Guess this Free2Play thing really works huh? pic.twitter.com/Wz4buvM5i1
— Maximilian Dood (@maximilian_) July 26, 2022
MultiVersus is also proving to be very popular on consoles with the game creeping into the Xbox Most Played list. It’s also currently sitting at second place in the Xbox Series X/S Top Free Games, pipped to first place by Fall Guys.
On PlayStation, it’s a similar story, appearing 2nd on the PS5 Most Downloaded list, only beaten to the top spot by “That Cat Game”, aka Stray (itself a free download for PS Plus subscribers).
It looks as though the game’s free-to-play status, as well as the popularity of its characters, has created the perfect combo to give MultiVersus the edge. We’ll have to check how the player numbers look in the coming months to get a better idea of how popular the new fighting game will really be. For now, it looks as though Warner Bros. is onto a winner.
Despite a smooth beta launch, MultiVersus players have already seen some nerfs implemented to the popular character, Taz. “If you have been following early access, Taz’s Tornado has been dominating his character kit and presenting a non-obvious knowledge check for newer players,” read yesterday’s patch notes. “By reducing its effectiveness we hope to improve his gameplay health and loop and bring the game to a healthier state for newer players.”
The problem was that Taz’s signature tornado move was absolutely steamrolling other players, causing significant knockback and regularly comboing for several hits with minimal effort.
“The tornado is Taz's signature move so we want to keep it as one of his most powerful attacks,” explained developer Player First. And that will likely mean adding a cooldown in the long run.
Want to find out more about MultiVersus? Check out our character guide for a full list of playable characters, as well as our tips and tricks to get the most out of your match-ups.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.