Running from May 19–27 on PC and consoles
Next week, fighting game fans will be able to call dibs on Batman, Tom & Jerry, and Shaggy, among other eclectic pop-culture characters. Warner Bros. Games is hosting a closed alpha test forMultiVersus, a world-colliding platform fighter, from May 19–27.
WhileMultiVersushas been playable before in a limited capacity, this is a chance to try the game on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, as well as PC. If you were in the prior (NDA’d) test on PC and want to play the console version, you’ll need to re-register.
If you’re selected — not everyone will be! — you’ll get an email on Tuesday, May 17. That’s when the first wave will go out, though WB Games notes that “additional confirmation emails and codes may be distributed throughout the Closed Alpha period.”
Everyone who makes the cut will be able toinvite up to three friends, using the Beta Management menu. No need to tune into Twitch for a code drop. Not this time, anyway.
Cross-play and cross-gen are supported, and theMultiVersusalpha will be available in the Americas, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, according to WB Games.
Playable characters, maps, and modes
A few other housekeeping notes: stats won’t carry forward, so don’t get too hung up on wins and losses, and PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold arenotrequired for the alpha.
It’ll be at EVO, too
MultiVersusalsohas plans for EVO 2022, which will be back in Las Vegas from August 5–7. At the event, WB Games will be hosting a 2v2 tournament with a $100K prize pool.
While I’ve avoided most of the fighting games that have tried to pull off theSmash Bros.formula with different IPs, I’ve gotta say, the sheer absurdity of some of theseMultiVersuslineups is kind of calling my name. The game’s free-to-play nature can and probably will put me off long-term, but it’s certainly an easy way to get a foot in the door.
My expectation is thatSmashwill continue to be the one true king, now and maybe forever. Everything else feels like an “all the brands are here!” novelty until proven otherwise,MultiVersusincluded. We’ll see how long the honeymoon period lasts.
