One MultiVersus Change is Great News For its Longevity

After an open beta and a year of downtime, MultiVersus re-launched last month, getting a rare second chance at a first impression. And while there are certainly still some issues to iron out, one of the most exciting new features added to the game has been Rifts. These offline PVP MultiVersus gauntlets give players unique challenges with each fight and incorporate modifiers and minigames to break up the flow of matches. After completing all the challenges in the Rift, players can collect a reward of fighter currency.

When the game first launched, however, these Rifts proved to be more of a time sink than a meaningful, engaging part of the game. The various difficulty levels proved to feel more like a grind than anything and players noted that their efforts in the Rifts were not yielding any progress toward the first season’s battle pass, making their time feel poorly spent. Thankfully, the developers at Player First Games made one key update to the Rifts that bodes well for MultiVersus’ long-term success.

MultiVersus Rift Changes Explained

Before the update, Rifts existed as a simple way for players to enjoy the game in a noncompetitive way. The main problem was the lack of battle pass progression, which extended far beyond the Rifts and into the rest of the game’s online modes. Before the update, the only way to gain XP for the MultiVersus battle pass was to complete a series of daily/weekly challenges for XP. Once those were completed, there wasn’t much left to keep players engaged on a long-term basis. They’d simply log in, complete dailies, and log out, treating it more like a job than a game.

Last week, developer Player First Games listened to its community and fixed this issue by letting players earn battle pass XP through individual MultiVersus matches, including the games played in Rifts. Now, players receive 20XP for a victory and 10XP for a loss in PVE, giving them something worthwhile for their efforts and reducing the grind significantly. At 2000XP per level on the battle pass, the 70-tier long rewards track is much more manageable, especially with the daily/weekly challenges and their rewards still in the equation.

What the Rift Changes Mean For the Future of MultiVersus

These changes bode well for the future longevity of MultiVersus. The game’s relaunch had a bit of a tumultuous start due to the grindy nature of unlocking cosmetics and characters, connection issues, and a general lack of features returning from MultiVersus‘ beta like leaderboards, fewer display options, and a generally inferior UI. The speed at which Player First Games addressed the Rifts is very encouraging and sets a good precedent for the developers’ standards moving forward. If there’s a problem, the team seems willing and able to address it as fast as humanly possible.

Rifts have been an excellent addition to the game overall and making them a viable method for players to work on their battle pass progression keeps them engaged and makes them feel like their time is well-spent even if they’re only playing the PVP side of things. Over time, Rifts will encourage players to branch out, try new characters, and practice new combos. This will keep the game feeling fresh and new for longer, organically extending the life of the game. After enough time, the title will find its footing and become an established mainstay in the fighting game community.

Not every studio is so receptive to player concerns, especially at such a fast turnaround rate. That’s the most important takeaway from MultiVersus’ somewhat rocky launch. From the earliest days of the beta, the development team has been very active on X communicating with and talking to the MultiVersus community. This move changing Rifts sets an important precedent: if the players feel strongly about something affecting the experience, Player First Games has no problem living up to its company name.