Warner Bros. Games has officially acquired Player First Games, adding the developer of MultiVersus to its profile.
In an official statement sent to IGN, Warner Bros. confirmed that co-founders Tony Huynh and Chris White will retain leadership of the studio, which led development of the popular Smash Bros.-style fighting game. Multiversus officially launched in May after early access and open betas in 2022 and 2023.
“Our team is excited to join the Warner Bros. Games family and we think it will be a great fit for MultiVersus overall,” Huynh said in a press release. “We’re working to make the MultiVersus experience the best it can be, and the integration of our development team with the publisher is optimal for players.”
The announcement comes ahead of the premiere of MultiVersus Season 2, which is set to drop tomorrow. In addition to the ranked mode, the modern season will add Samurai Jack and Beetlejuice. They will join a slew of other Warner Bros. characters, including Agent Smith, The Joker, and more.
Reviews of MultiVersus have been mostly positive since its release, with our review stating: “MultiVersus is a raucous and fun competitive platform brawler that rewards players for learning the strengths and weaknesses of an eclectic cast of characters and working as a team. Its focus on 2v2 online means it lacks the grab-and-play nature of Smash Bros., but it does a good job of distinguishing itself from other games in the genre. MultiVersus may need time to develop its currently limited selection of stages and characters to live up to its bright potential, but its foundations are already rock solid.”
Warner Bros. Games CEO David Haddad said in a statement: “We have worked with Player First Games for several years to build and launch MultiVersus, and we are very pleased to welcome this talented team to Warner Bros. Games. The bright and creative team at Player First Games enhances our broad capabilities for growth.”
Player First Games joins a studio roster that also includes NetherRealm Studios, TT Games, Monolith Productions, and Avalanche Software. Warner Bros. Games recently experienced layoffs following the closure of its Mortal Kombat: Onslaught mobile game, while Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has also struggled since launch. Despite this, Warner Bros. Games has stated that it will continue to double down on its live service games, including MultiVersus.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s news director and also co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Got a tip? DM her @the_katbot
