We’ve known for a while now that developer Hidden Variable has been working towards adding real-time competitive multiplayer into their mobile rendition of fan-favorite fighting game Skullgirls (Free), and they were taking sign-ups for a closed beta of the new mode back in August. In fact real-time PvP has been a goal of Hidden Variable’s since they began working on Skullgirls for mobile more than three years ago. Now the day has finally come that online multiplayer is officially part of the game thanks to the brand new version 4.0 update. The way they’ve implemented multiplayer is really smart too. There’s a Competitive Mode where all characters have a set number of stats and a specific balance, meaning that no matter if you’re a total noob or a hardcore player you’ll be battling each other on completely even ground character-wise. Then there’s a Free For All mode, and here is where you can bring in whatever tricked out characters you want from your collection, complete with all the special abilities and items you’ve equipped them with. Here is an example match of the PvP modes that one of the beta testers posted to YouTube last month so you can get an idea of what it’s like in action.
Unfortunately, the servers are currently down for maintenance to prepare for the version 4.0 update, so I haven’t personally been able to have my butt kicked by other players online yet. But as of this writing the servers should be back and running in a couple of hours, and you can know exactly when everything is back online by following the official Skullgirls Mobile Twitter account. Of course while the online multiplayer is the banner feature in this version 4.0 update, Hidden Variable has crammed in so many more improvements and new features in addition to the online play, and as always you can get the nitty gritty details in the exhaustingly informative update post on the Skullgirls Mobile forums. Also today’s update just so happens to coincide with the launch of Skullgirls 2nd Encore on the Nintendo Switch, so once servers are back up and mobile players are able to fire up the game you’ll be greeted with a special reward to celebrate that launch. I LOVE Skullgirls on mobile and feel it’s far and away the best mobile fighting game around, and it has an incredibly passionate fanbase that I’m sure will make the new online multiplayer modes a fun place to play for a long time to come.
