Player First Games has outlined the new monetization model for Multiversus.
To cut things short, yes, they’re using Battle Passes. Multiversus will also have new currencies than what was available at launch. But if you played the beta, they have figured out how to get value from what you already paid for, and they’ve promised rewards if you come back to play.
If you played the beta and you return by June 11, 2024, you get the Season 1 Battle Pass free. Even if you log in after June 11, if you did play the beta, you will get a special edition Snow Suit Finn commemorative character variant, a special edition Rising Stars ringout, and a special edition Banana Guard announcer pack.
The open beta offered four currencies; Gleamium, character tokens, Battle Pass tokens and Gold. When you come back, Gold will be gone. You will get the equivalent value of what you had in Gold, in the form of commemorative cosmetics. Player First claims there will be no other way to get these cosmetics, so you’ll get to show off you were there since the beta.
You will still be able to use your character tokens and Battle Pass tokens, but it will no longer be possible to buy more. You will still be able to buy new characters and unlock the premium Battle Pass with what you have left of each currency.
Gleamium was originally only available by spending real money. Now, players will be able to earn them in game, and use them to buy skins or the next premium Battle Pass. In turn, there are now three new currencies.
Fighter currency can buy new characters, and Perk currency can buy Perks. Prestige currency is a sort of reward you get, based on the items and cosmetics you have earned. The game appraises your items based on type and rarity, and rewards the equivalent Prestige accordingly. All these currencies are earned in game.
As you can see, the transition for beta players to jump back in will be really complicated. But, Player First likely needed to make all these changes. They can’t keep Multiversus free if they don’t figure out how to make it profitable. While some gamers will prefer the simplicity of just buying a $ 60 title up front, Warner Bros revealed that 20 million gamers downloaded and gave it a chance.
Player First promises that they will make the Battle Passes worthwhile, and have already increased what you can earn in free and premium tiers. Of course, Jason Voorhees is the premium Battle pass reward for Season 1, so if you played the beta, you really want to jump back in before June 11.
In case you do miss the chance to get him before then, he will be available after the season with character tokens, Fighter Currency, and/or Gleamium.
The free-to-play model is clearly challenging to implement for fighting games. We don’t know if Player First will figure it all out, but if there’s any game and studio best positioned to figure out if it is possible, this is it.
