In the five months after its initial launch, MultiVersus' player count on Steam has decreased drastically and peaked with only 2,500 players in the last 30 days. As spotted by a user on Reddit, according to SteamCharts, Warner Bros' smash-hit brawler has struggled to maintain its player base, which was more than 100,000 players in its first two months.
MultiVersus was a smash hit when it first launched in early access earlier this year. After the full release, MultiVersus peaked with 153,044 players during the month of July. While the decline in the player count is not something unusual for multiplayer games, the sudden shrinking in MultiVersus' player count seems quite concerning. For example, the game had a peak of 139,095 players in August, showing an optimistic retention performance after a month. Yet the peak in September was a mere 8,375 players.
It is worth noting that the data shows the game's player count on Steam and it is difficult to pinpoint the game's player base performance on consoles. Despite the dwindling player count, Player First Games, the development studio behind MultiVersus, has continued to expand the game's roster since its launch. The popular brawler has allowed players to assume the role of a great number of characters, with Marvin the Martian being the most recent addition.
According to the players who stopped playing, MultiVersus' issues are stemming from a multitude of bugs and glitches that have a direct impact on gameplay. A comment from Reddit user Prof-Wernstorm in the game's subreddit says that "it still has plenty of issues to iron out and features that are in 'testing' like ranked, arcade and the guild system....since the launch." Those who spent a considerable amount of time share similar comments about the Player First Games' stagnant brawler as well. While the last MultiVersus update did focus on whiff recovery, it still continues to be a point of content about the game.
While the current state of MultiVersus does not spell good things about the game's future, a new developer campaign focusing on certain issues with a content boost can reverse the game's deteriorating state. History has many examples proving that a solid post-launch development can make the titles shine again on the gaming landscape.