MultiVersus Fans Call Out "Ugly Monetization" After Discovering Ability To Purchase Extra Lives

Highlights

MultiVersus faces backlash for steep character unlock requirements, with players noting the need for 38+ hours of PvP gameplay per character.
Fans are upset with the ability to buy extra lives at $10 for the campaign mode, sparking concerns about the future of the game’s longevity.

After multiple betas over the last 2 years, MultiVersus finally had its full release late last month. Unfortunately, the free-to-play fighting game is already being blasted by the community for its “ugly monetization.”

Shortly after MultiVersus worldwide launch last month, fans quickly discovered that they’d need to put in some real grinding just to unlock a single character. The discovery was made by X (formerly Twitter) user WhyDo, who claimed that it takes “38+ hours of PvP gameplay to unlock a single new character in MultiVersus.”

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While most characters cost 3,000 fighter currency, the user noted that certain characters, such as The Joker, cost double that amount. This would mean you’d have to grind, on average, for around 77 hours to unlock a character worth 6,000 in-game currency.

The user that made this discovery wants people to “stop defending this,” as it’s practically forcing people who don’t have the time to purchase in-game currency with real money if they want to use additional characters. But now the game has found itself in even hotter water after fans discovered that you can purchase extra lives for its campaign mode.

Over on Reddit, one user took to the platform’s gaming subreddit to share their discovery. “MultiVersus charges you $10 to refill your lives in the campaign mode,” the user said. “Welcome to the future of gaming.”

The post has clearly resonated with fans around the world, as it has garnered over 18,000 upvotes at the time of writing this article. Many users responded by saying that the community shouldn’t be surprised, given this has become somewhat of a normality in the gaming world. Other users believe that MultiVersus won’t have a long life span due to its monetization practices.

“It died once two years ago, this time I’m giving it 3 months before it goes back to the grave,” Reddit user Nightshade_NL said. While ChokeMcNugget said, “It’s ‘free to play’, of course there’s 6,000 opportunities to gouge you for money.”

While fans are rightly outraged, it is worth noting that MultiVersus campaign mode only allows you to purchase extra lives when on the hardest difficulty. For those playing on anything lower, lives simply reset after a certain amount of time, similar to the likes of Candy Crush.