Everything We Know About Multiversus, WB's Smash Bros. Clone
There has been a ton of leaked information about "Multiversus," the rumored Warner Bros. platform fighters starring characters like Shaggy from "Scooby-Doo" and Gandalf from "The Lord of the Rings." The "Super Smash Bros." inspired platform fighting game would let people pit Shaggy against Batman – and who doesn't want that? The rumor began on Reddit, where someone made a post titled "NetherRealm Leak" detailing the alleged fighters and claiming the game the next project from NetherRealm Studios, the team behind "Mortal Kombat" and "Injustice."
The leaker claimed to know many of the characters who would appear in the game, like Max from "Mad Max" and Fred Flintstone from "The Flintstones." GamesBeat reporter Jeff Grubb confirmed that he had also heard about a platform fighter titled "Multiversus." However, Grubb said that it is not being developed by NetherRealm. While there seem to be some conflicting reports about "Multiversus," there is a ton of information about the game out there. Here's everything we know so far.
The leaked Multiversus roster
While multiple people independently reported that "Multiversus" is a real game, professional "Super Smash Bros." player HungryBox decided to come out and confirm the game's existence. At first, HungryBox just noted that he had heard similar things about the upcoming platform fighter, but he later dropped a bombshell. HungryBox shared an image of the in-game roster of "Multiversus" on Twitter that has since been removed due to copyright claims, more or less confirming its legitimacy.
The image included 13 characters, 12 of which are from known Warner Bros. properties and one that appears to be an original creation. The lineup contained some characters from the previous leaks, like Shaggy and Gandalf, but also included other characters like Rick from "Rick and Morty" and the titular characters from "Tom and Jerry." Each character had a small icon in the top right of their image, indicating that there might be different character classes or fighting styles. It's unknown if this image is the entire roster or just a section of it, with more characters to come later.
Multiversus might be free-to-play
Many gamers speculated that "Multiversus" will be free-to-play when it releases, although Warner Bros. could intend to sell DLC characters down the line. This information comes from Jeff Grubb at GamesBeat, who reported that the game will be free at launch, with an initially limited roster. Grubb also later stated on his show GrubbSnax (summed up by Nibel on Twitter) that Warner Bros. is looking to bring characters from "Space Jam: A New Legacy" to the game as DLC, including current NBA star LeBron James.
It's unclear exactly how the DLC fighters would work in the context of the game and if there will be ways for players to earn the new characters for free. If the DLC characters can only be purchased with real money, the game could run the risk of being perceived as "pay-to-win" if the DLC characters are overpowered. Regardless, if Warner Bros. is pulling as deep cuts as Lebron James, expect "Multiversus" to have some really strange characters from across Warner Bros. properties.
Multiversus appears to be a budget title
There are some reports that "Multiversus" is being developed on a tight budget, however, there is some conflicting information in that regard. GamesBeat reported that the game appears to be not getting the budget a AAA game might enjoy. "The early word is that the game feels like it is on a tight budget," Grubb wrote. There could be multiple reasons for this, but one of the more likely options is that the game could potentially be developed for mobile, as well as console and PC. Other free-to-play platform fighters, like "Brawlhalla" have found success on mobile, with cross-play to other platforms.
There is another piece of information that suggests the game might have a bit more budget than some believe. HungryBox shared that the game has voice acting for all characters. Providing dialogue for an extensive cast can be costly, but it is important for these types of fighters. "Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl" was dinged by critics for not having voice acting, even though it was a full priced game. If Warner Bros. is paying for voice acting in "Multiversus" the company might have some faith in the title's success.