MultiVersus ‘Patronizes’ Losers By Making Them Fight Bots

Most games tell you to get good by giving you a “Game Over” screen. MultiVersus, the newly re-released Warner Bros. crossover fighter, has something else in mind. What if players who lose too much got dumped into a different online queue that stopped them from playing against other humans? That’s the solution MultiVersus seems to have gone with, and players aren’t thrilled about it.

Players have sporadically reported on the MultiVersus subreddit instances of getting paired up against bots after losing too many matches. But as more players are trying out the game, that criticism is starting to gain steam. Reddit user lionsnuggler69 says they spent “hours” in bot jail unable to play against real people after doing team rounds with a friend who was new to MultiVersus

“This has got to be the most patronizing thing I have ever experienced in a game,” they wrote. “I have over 200 hours in the game. My main isn’t strong in the meta, but I love playing them. Unfortunately, this now means that I get robbed of the experience of playing with the community. I was such a fan of this game. I wanted to believe in it, despite everything. But this pity queue is absolutely unacceptable.”

Some fans pointed out it may be a “mercy mechanic” so people can accomplish their in-game quests without having to beat real players, but said that didn’t make it feel any less “insulting” to find yourself fighting bots after a rough night.

“There should be an opt-out option in the settings,” GooRedSpeakers wrote on Reddit. “I don’t mind losing 10 times in a row while learning a new fighter, but I hate having my time wasted on easy mode bots.”

At the moment, the number of matches you have to lose before bots start showing up in the queue seems fairly low. Some players report facing bots after just two losses, even with an above-average win rate across the whole game. While MultiVersus’ intentions may be good, it seems like the community isn’t thrilled with the implementation. Add it to the list of problems fans have had with the game since it re-launched in May, as the game has been subject to criticism around its online lag, balancing issues, and monetization

We’ve reached out to Player First for comment on the situation and will update the story if we hear back.