Multiversus Fighting Game – Industry’s Worst Kept Secret

Fighting Games
November 22, 2021
Jordan Ashley

Few days ago saw the announcement of a new fighting game, or if you’re following the industry confirmation of one of the worst kept secrets. The Warner Brothers crossover fighting game has long been rumoured with significant portions leaked.

However, we’ve finally got full confirmation and a trailer for this upcoming title. So, what is Multiversus, and why has a tie-in game once again got the fighting game community excited?

Multiversus Fighting Game

Multiversus Fighting Game

Multiversus is a long-time rumoured fighting crossover game in the style of Super Smash Bros. The title is being produced bringing in characters from various properties owned by Warner Brothers. It looks set to be a free-to-play fighting game. The title’s initial draw seems to be coming from its big and diverse roster. However, there are a few other features here that kind of sets it apart as more than just a tie-in game.

Outside of the roster, one impressive aspect is the dedicated server-based rollback netcode. Rollback netcode has quickly become the preferred way for fighting games to do online competitions. During the pandemic with in-person esports events not exactly possible, games with this style of online play got a lot more credit than those without. With this inclusion, Multiversus looks like something a bit more than an easy cash in.

The game is going to see release on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC. The Switch is curiously missing from this list, which takes the game out of direct competition with Smash Bros. The main mode is going to be 2-v-2, but larger party player sizes will be there alongside a 1-v-1.

Multiversus Roster

The title’s roster is bringing in characters from a lot of different universes. So far, we have quite a few confirmed. This includes Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn from DC comics and related media. Bugs Bunny and Tom and jerry from Looney Tunes. Steven Universe, Garnet, along with Jake the Dog and Finn the Human from Adventure Time. There is also Arya Stark from Game of Thrones featuring. Then Shaggy from Scooby-Doo. Although, the trailer shown so far indicates this character is mainly based on the Dragon Ball Z Ultra-Instinct Shaggy memes from a few years ago, with the character recreating a Super Saiyan transformation.

The game’s roster is the biggest draw right now. We’re likely to see even more characters crossover into this game in the future though.

Trend of Crossover Smash-Bros Style Fighters

Multiversus is the second game of this type to make a big splash this year, the first being Nickelodeon’s All-Star Brawler. This style of game isn’t entirely new, and games have been taking the Smash Bros template for a long while. However, these recent iterations from Warner Bros and Nickelodeon both seem to have captured the attention of players and fans in a bigger way.

Multiversus has one major thing that is going beyond Nickelodeon in voice acting. That game had their characters eerily silent. However, Multiversus is bringing in a big cast of voice actors like Kevin Conroy as Batman and Matthew Lillard as Shaggy.

One big question here is if Multiversus has an esports future? Long term, it isn’t like to replace any of the major fighting franchises. However, in the short term we can probably expect some fun tournaments for established pros, and likely the game featuring as a side game at bigger tournaments. Similar to this year’s Mainstage. While Smash Bros has an uncertain future right now, these games are definitely a fun way to keep new content coming for tournaments and streamers.

Multiversus will probably receive more details closer to release, like a larger roster. So, keep an eye out for news or maybe some launch tournaments to promote the game closer to the time.