MultiVersus studio claims ability to purchase extra lives with real money was "a bug" that was "not an intended feature in the game"

A screenshot from MultiVersus showing Shaggy and Velma from Scooby Doo facing Batman.
(Image credit: Player First Games)

Player First Games' free-to-play fighting game, MultiVersus, hasn't had the smoothest start since it was relaunched on PC and consoles last month, with its developer now highlighting a truly peculiar "bug" on social media.

In a new developer update shared on Twitter yesterday, the MultiVersus account states that it's planning patches which will add 'end of game' stats, as well as the option to turn off team colors, and perhaps most importantly, improve the fighting game's performance. That's not the part that's turning heads, though, but this extra point: "We’d also like to let you know that the option to purchase extra lives is a bug that has been addressed and is not an intended feature in the game." Huh.

It's worth noting that this "bug" wasn't available in regular PvP matches, but rather the PvE 'Rifts' mode, which allows players to take on a sequence of themed fights. There are five difficulty options to choose from, and although the highest, Looney, isn't unlockable until July 10, hovering over it shows a description stating that despite the fact players can only use "a limited number of lives per day" on it, they "can purchase more." However, some players found that, despite it not being advertised as such, the same system seemed to apply to the lower Insanity difficulty, too, and it did indeed prompt them to buy more lives when playing on it.

Not long after this was reported on social media, the Insanity difficulty was grayed out, with it currently showing as 'Unavailable' in-game. The text indicating that players will be able to buy more lives on the Looney difficulty is still intact at the time of writing, so it seems that the "bug" in question could relate to the option's appearance on Insanity, but the devs stating that buying lives "is not an intended feature in the game" does raise questions over whether plans could eventually change for this higher difficulty, too.

In the same Twitter post, Player First Games confirms that updates are "still in the works" for Iron Giant, who was temporarily removed from the game this week due to "issues" with the character. At the time, the developers stated that an update on Iron Giant's status will be given next week, and this latest post reassures players that "he’ll be returning to battle shortly," so hopefully we won't have to wait too long. That's sure to be especially good news for the player who was actively using Iron Giant in a tournament as he got removed, forcing them to switch characters, but shout-out to them for securing the win on that set regardless. 

If you're looking for more games to test your battle skills, be sure to check out our list of the top 25 best fighting games.

Catherine Lewis
News Writer

I'm one of GamesRadar+'s news writers, who works alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.