MultiVersus seems to be taking off in a big way since it went live in open beta this week. According to SteamDB, an external tool that tracks the number of concurrent players and maximum games using the platform, the game has shot up more than 100,000 concurrent PC players in the past 24 hours. This makes it by far the most popular fighting game release for the platform.
Checking now, the game shows no signs of slowing down as it approaches a peak of 150,000! It’s safe to say that the combination of the game’s free-to-play model, as well as a colorful cast of popular Warner Bros. characters, has the gaming community enthralled right now.
Check out Lebron’s character reveal trailer for MultiVersus here!
It’s also worth noting that the developers – Player First Games – have some major content updates planned to keep this momentum going. Many will know that NBA star Lebron James was added to the cast after the open beta launched, but Rick and Morty will also be joining the roster during the upcoming season. Time will tell if these characters combined with the actual gameplay experience will keep the numbers high in the coming weeks.
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This initial burst of success lends a lot of credence to the free-to-play model for fighting games as a whole. For years, fans of the genre have wondered whether or not a live service model would benefit games like Smash Bros, Street Fighter and Tekken. Some games, like Killer Instinct and other platform fighters like Brawlhalla and Rivals of Aether, have been very successful in this direction. With MultiVersus seemingly achieving similar or greater levels of initial success, you can only wonder what kind of ripples it will send through the industry.
However, the gears may already be in motion in this area. While there’s been no word on whether Street Fighter 6 will follow this business model, Riot Game’s Project L seems like a perfect candidate for a traditional fighter with true live service DNA. After all, Riot Games has been a major presence in the space for years with giant titles like League of Legends, Valorant, and most recently Wild Rift.
What do you think about the initial success of MultiVersus? Do you think the momentum will last? Or are we just seeing a week of hype? Let us know in the comments below!
For more MultiVersus content, check out our list of MultiVersus levels here, as well as our features editor’s opinion piece on why MultiVersus might be the best free-to-play game for PlayStation, Xbox and PC.