Chinese company NetEase, in its third collaboration with Marvel Entertainment, hasjust announced free-to-play hero shooterMarvel Rivals. The game has 6v6 matches, destructible environments, and a roster full of Marvel characters, each with their own (frankly, very cool-looking) canonically accurate movesets.
Doctor Strange flies around and opens portals, Spider-Man webs stuff up, Loki creates duplicates and copies other characters’ abilities, Hulk launches himself across the map to beat stuff up with his fists… you get the gist. It also has team-up abilities exclusive to, as far as I can tell, characters closely associated with each other, like Rocket Raccoon and Groot. The game has already drawn many comparisons to Overwatch, for obvious reasons.
It doesn’t help thatHulk is basically D.va.
It’s worth saying here that NetEase and Blizzard Entertainment had licensing agreements to publish Blizzard’s titles, including Overwatch, in China for over a decade. Those licences expired in January 2023, leading to a bitter separation, the games being withdrawn entirely in China, andreview bombing from Chinese users on Steam.
NetEase apparentlytore down the World of Warcraft statue in front of its officeafter the dissolution of the agreement, and in April 2023,sued Blizzard for $45 million in compensation. Reports now say thatBlizzard and NetEase have struck a new dealto bring World of Warcraft back to China in 2024, but there’s been no official announcement yet. It’s yet to be seen if NetEase publishing a rival game will affect negotiations.
My colleague Eric Switzer makes a great argumentherethat Marvel Rivals isn’t really that much like Overwatch at all, and is more akin to a third-person brawler than a shooter focused on positioning and precision. He compares it to Bleeding Edge, a game that faded fairly quickly into obscurity particularlybecauseit was released into an already over-saturated market.
Eric makes a great point in the conclusion of that piece – it’s going to be hard for NetEase to deliver a hit PVP shooter in a time when live-service games are losing popularity. I’m a little more optimistic. Overwatch 2 fans seem to spend more time being angry at the game than enjoying it, and for good reason.
The game has faced massive backlash since it cancelled the PvE content that was meant to justify the existence of a sequel to the first Overwatch in the first place, and faces ongoing egregious monetisation issues, especially around battle passes. I wouldn’t be surprised if this IP-backed ostensible competitor starts being branded as an Overwatch-killer and manages to draw from that same audience, especially in Chinese markets where Overwatch has already been withdrawn.
But, as Eric says in his analysis, it’s unlikely. I think Marvel Rivals could succeed, even thrive, if it offers the things that Overwatch failed to deliver, namely a story campaign and reasonable monetisation. We know that the game will revolve around something called the Timestream Entanglement, a collision of multiverses caused by Doctor Doom and his 2099 counterpart. But there has been no mention of story missions or PvE, and I’m not optimistic there will ever be one.
NetEase is also known for predatory, exploitative monetisation, which doesn’t bode well for the game as a plausible competitor to Overwatch 2 – it’s just the same problems, dressed up in a different skin. There are obvious steps that NetEase can take to make Marvel Rivals a success, even as games like it are falling from glory. I just don’t think it will take them, because it’s historically been more interested in profit than quality or longevity.
Marvel Rivals
WHERE TO PLAY
Marvel Rivals is a Super Hero Team-Based PVP Shooter!Assemble an all-star Marvel squad, devise countless strategies by combining powers to form unique Team-Up skills and fight in destructible, ever-changing battlefields across the continually evolving Marvel universe!A Deep and Varied Marvel RosterChoose from a vast array of fan-favorite and cult-classic Marvel Super Heroes and Super Villains from across the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men, and many more from across the Marvel Multiverse.Fast and Fun 6v6 Action with Ever-Changing Game DynamicsWith intricate environments, fast-paced gameplay, and ever-changing battlefields, there’s never a dull moment in Marvel Rivals! Battle as Super Heroes and Super Villains with incredible abilities and combine your powers to bring unexpected fun to the battlefield in a matter of seconds.Dynamic Hero SynergyCoordinate unique combinations between characters to ignite surprising Team-Up Skills! Unleash the synergy of combined superpowers and invent new tactics that can turn the tide of combat. Ride on Groot’s back as Rocket Raccoon to take on your enemies as a dangerous duo, unleash Gamma energy as Hulk to charge Iron Man’s armor for massive damage, and so much more!Creative Environment DestructionTear your way through iconic Marvel worlds across destructible environments! From Asgard to the Tokyo of 2099, use superpowers to alter these environments, reshape the terrain, and craft a strategic advantage on the battlefield! Take cover to dodge attacks or use makeshift weapons to strike down enemies. Players will find countless ways to utilize the environment to claim victory!Continually Evolving Universe and Robust Post-Launch UpdatesThe Marvel Multiverse brings infinite possibilities! Each seasonal drop will introduce new Super Heroes to the battlefield along with challenging and diverse maps! Unlock new content to implement across various gameplay strategies while experiencing thrilling action and endless possibilities in these adventurous team battles!
