The platform fighter seems to be a popular genre at the moment, with games like Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl launching in the space to try and replicate some of the success seen by Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and its huge roster of recognizable game characters. It makes sense, then, that character fighters would want to branch outside the world of video games to settle debates about "who would win in a fight" once and for all with other IPs. MultiVersus is Warner Bros. upcoming platform fighter that's looking to break into the space and, so far, it seems like it could be a great addition to the genre.
The game has currently revealed 13 different characters in its roster and its studio, Player First Games, has expressed that the number of characters will constantly be growing similar to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Because of how recognizable Warner Bros. IPs are, it would make sense for the company to continue following Smash's lead and make events out of character reveals once the game is officially out.
The Fun of Smash Ultimate Character Reveals
Even if someone wasn't following Super Smash Bros. Ultimate closely, they were likely aware any time that the game introduced a new character to its roster because of how big of a deal it was when it happened. Nintendo had opened the gates for speculation due to the types of characters it had brought to Smash in the past. There was representation from all sorts of IPs, some that had never even appeared on Nintendo consoles before. Whenever someone new was coming to the game, it was a major deal for the community and Nintendo as a whole.
Hopefully, MultiVersus can replicate these levels of excitement by going all out for its character reveals. It might be something of an uphill battle at first, as getting fans to care enough about a new game to make a big deal about its updates is far easier said than done. However, if the game can generate enough buzz to be included in major gaming events like the Game Awards or major E3 showcases like Super Smash Bros. was, it could potentially see similar results in terms of excitement.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate proved that there's just something fun about speculating which characters will be added to a game. Plus, when a popular character finally is included like Sora or Banjo & Kazooie, fans are willing to make the most out of celebrating their inclusion.
Warner Bros. Huge Roster of IPs
If any company is equipped to have the type of Smash-like character reveals for a crossover fighting game, it's Warner Bros., due to the vast number of diverse IPs spanning generations and multiple different types of entertainment. The announced roster for MultiVersus already includes plenty of iconic characters that span generations from Batman, to Jake the Dog, to Shaggy. While the quality of the film is certainly up for debate, it takes one watch of the recently released Space Jam: A New Legacy to understand just how many IPs Warner Bros. has access to.
MultiVersus could easily bring together Neo from The Matrix, Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings, and all the penguins from Happy Feet for a contest of strength proved on the battlefield. Because of how seemingly random Warner's assortment of IPs is, character reveals for the game are built for major speculation and, if including a big enough character, could cause new players to flock to it. Obviously, all of this depends on MultiVersus being a quality experience, but it seems clear that the game has the potential to garner similar levels of excitement.
MultiVersus is in development.