Delaying MultiVersus Season 1 And Morty Release Seems Like A Very Bad Idea

Bad news for MultiVersus fans today.

Player First Games announced that the start of Season 1 is being delayed indefinitely. The cherry on top? The release of the much-hyped fighter Morty—of Rick & Morty fame—is also being delayed.

The game has been a pretty big hit since release, gaining a lot of momentum in its open beta phase. It’s basically a Smash Bros clone that trades out Nintendo characters for Warner Bros. and DC characters like Superman, Shaggy and Arya Stark. Also Morty, someday.

Valve revealed recently that the game was the most-played title on Steam Deck for the last week of July, topping Stray, Elden Ring and No Man’s Sky.

While there’s not an exact release date for Season 1, the developer is extending the pre-season Battle Pass until August 15th, so it doesn’t look like it will be long.

Some fans have expressed concern over the delay as it comes right when Warner Bros. is in a period of upheaval and cost-cutting. Many HBO shows have been cancelled or are likely to be cancelled soon. The almost-finished Batgirl movie was cancelled entirely and won’t even make it to streaming, presumably so that Warner Bros. can write off the loss.

All of this comes as AT&T merges HBO with Discovery, creating Warner Bros. Discovery out of the two companies, and combining HBO Max with Discovery+. There have been many casualties of this merger, including Raised By Wolves, one of the best science fiction dramas on TV, though the cast and creators of that show are hoping to get picked up by another streaming service like Apple TV or Amazon.

Fortunately, the MultiVersus delay doesn’t look to have anything to do with the problems at Warner Bros. though it certainly seems likely that the merger could impact video games down the line. An overhaul of DC content appears likely, and that could impact more than just the movies and shows, but future games as well.

For now, gamers will just have to wait to learn more about the MultiVersus Season 1 and Morty release. “We’ll let you know the timing as soon as we can,” the game’s Twitter account tweeted. “We appreciate your patience & enthusiasm and look forward to unveiling Season 1 very soon!”

Game delays and season delays happen, but it definitely feels like a missed opportunity to capitalize on all the current hype with a big Season 1 release as soon as possible. Then again, if it’s not ready it’s not ready and as so many rushed releases have proven over the years, better to delay than to hurry an unfinished product out the door.