C.C. cosplaying as Harley Quinn? Finally some fantastic results from this multiverse idea. Anyhoo, Smash clones are a dime a dozen. One month everyone is talking about how hilarious it is to watch Spongebop Squarepants annihilate a Ninja Turtle. The next month, nobody even remembers it came out. Then suddenly you check Steam to ensure it ever existed in the first place and by god it’s on sale for 90% off and an entire sequel is announced? Damn time flies. However, one Smash clone was able to be a talking point for a whopping multitude of months before fizzling out. That clone was Multiversus, a Warner Bros. backed project that enlisted their mighty roster of characters to pit Ultra Instinct Shaggy against Tom and Jerry. While it had a promising potential thanks to the endless IP of Warner, some wacky netplay and a general lack of snapiness and polish to the game left players bleeding out over several months. Until now baby.
The team announced they’re coming back in a big way: revealing The Joker. If there was any character that could drum up hype, The Joker is absolutely near the top of that list. On top of that we now have a new re-launch date for the game on May 28th of this month. So what exactly happened? To my understanding the original debut of the game was supposed to be an open beta that would seamlessly transition into the full product. However once people got their hands on it, it felt more like a game that needed extra time in the oven paired with monetization practices fully-fleshed out. That contrast confused some players, and after several months it kinda faded out. I thought they had simply given up, but this new announcement clearly shows an intent to revive the game (or launch it officially for the first time?). Regardless of how you classify this return, I’m surprised it’s even happening in the first place.
Time will tell if they can bring back the initial hype this game had and transition that into a long lasting competitive scene. With fighting games garnishing more popular appeal as of late and accessible titles on the horizon like Riot’s 2XKO looming near, it may struggle to find a dedicated audience. Then again, Smash is its own genre not distinctly similar to any other fighter and with the official games taking a break after Ultimate, perhaps it’s still a good opportunity to strike. Did you play Multiversus the first time around? Are you considering playing it again in late May? Just what exactly was the initial release of this game classified as? Call your team partner back up, choose your characters, and tell some killing jokes in the comments below!
