According to an official announcement today by Warner Bros. Games, the company's new 2D fighting game MultiVersus has surpassed 20 million players. The following press release was sent to Inven Global: 

"Warner Bros. Games today announced that MultiVersus, the all-new free-to-play platform fighter, has now surpassed over 20 million players since the Open Beta started on July 26. The milestone follows the kickoff of MultiVersus Season 1, which began Aug. 15 with a new Battle Pass for players to earn in-game rewards. Season 1 will also bring a variety of new characters, modes and other content to MultiVersus, which is developed by Player First Games and published by Warner Bros. Games. Morty Smith (Rick and Morty) will join the roster on Aug. 23, while Black Adam (DC), Stripe (Gremlins), Rick Sanchez (Rick and Morty) and many other heroes and personalities will be added in the coming months. New modes will also be coming to the game as part of Season 1, including Classic Arcade and Ranked modes."

The marketers of MultiVersus have been very active in pushing the game. Although the game has not been fully released, it's had several major promotional tournaments, including a spot at this year's Evolution Championship Series and an influencer-centered event hosted by popular streamer Ludwig Aghren. 

MultiVersus' support of esports is an encouraging sign for many in the Super Smash Bros. community. Nintendo's relationship with the competitive Smash community has been seen by many as contentious, with many seeking a similar game with a more supportive developer. Although there have been titles such as Brawlhalla and Rivals of Aether, the franchises did not have the IP to compete with Smash. Nick All Star Brawl was seen as a potential challenger, but quickly sank in interest. No doubt many are hoping that MultiVersus will continue to maintain a strong audience once the initial hype dies down.