Marvel Rivals is an upcoming hero shooter video game developed and published by NetEase Games in collaboration with Marvel Games. The game is set to release for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. The game will be free-to-play with a current line up of 26 characters from Marvel Comics.

Marvel Rivals
Developer(s)NetEase Games
Publisher(s)NetEase Games
Director(s)Thaddeus Sasser[1]
Producer(s)Stephen Wu[2]
EngineUnreal Engine 5[3]
Platform(s)macOS
Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 5[4]
Xbox Series X/S[5]
ReleaseDecember 6, 2024
Genre(s)Hero shooter
Mode(s)Multiplayer

Gameplay

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Marvel Rivals will be a 6v6 player-versus-player, third-person hero shooter title.[1] With the right combination of two or three characters, players can make use of "Dynamic Hero Synergy" which further maximize their playable character's combat efficiency.[6][7] The game also features destructible environments, allowing players to alter the battlefield (overseen by Galacta) to their advantage.[6]

As of August 2024, 26 playable characters have been officially announced.[8][7][9] Additionally, two locations have been confirmed for the game, those being Yggsgard, a fusion of Asgard and Yggdrasil, and Tokyo of 2099.[10][11] The game has three modes: Convoy, Domination, and Convergence.[12]

Plot

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The story follows a hostile meeting between Doctor Doom and his heroic 2099 counterpart. This causes multiple universes to merge in the 'Timestream Entanglement', which causes new worlds to be created. This causes heroes and villains across the multiverse to fight one another with the main goal of defeating both Doctor Doom variants before one claims victory over the new worlds.[13][self-published source]

Characters

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Playable

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Non-Playable

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Development and release

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NetEase Games has established a specialized team in Seattle, dedicated to game and level design, to collaborate with their team in Guangzhou, China on Marvel Rivals.[15] The game is currently being developed by NetEase Games, which had also developed two Marvel games prior to Marvel Rivals: Marvel Super War (2019) and Marvel Duel (2020).[16] Jay Ong from Marvel Games described Rivals as one of their "most ambitious game development projects".[17]

Marvel Rivals had a closed alpha test accessible to the public lasting ten days, from May 10–20, 2024.[17] Players could earn permanent rewards transferrable to the game's final release through gameplay. Included rewards were an exclusive alpha tester title and a playable skin for the character Scarlet Witch, both earned through the test's dedicated battle pass. Additional permanent rewards were the "Dawn of Legends" title, gained from placing Top 32 in the game's eponymous alpha tournament, and an in-game spray decoration, gained by playing with/against a game developer during the playtest.[18]

NetEase received backlash during the alpha playtest when streamer Brandon Larned called out the company on social media for including a non-disparagement clause in the contract given to content creators who had access to the alpha test, barring reviews from saying anything negative about the game. Following the controversy, NetEase apologized and stated it would be revising its contract to be more creator-friendly.[19]

A closed beta test for Marvel Rivals took place from July 23 to August 5, 2024 for both consoles and PC.[20][21]

Marvel Rivals will be free-to-play from its initial release. Though the game was set to release for Windows and macOS via Steam and Epic Games, NetEase Games had stated that it is exploring potential releases on other platforms.[22][23] During Sony's State of Play held in May, the game was revealed to come for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, as well as its upcoming beta playtest.[7][24][25]

Notes

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  1. ^ It was announced that players who will play the game on the PlayStation 5, would get an exclusive Scarlet Spider skin for Spider-Man.[2][14]

References

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  1. ^ a b McWhertor, Michael (March 27, 2024). "New hero shooter Marvel Rivals looks like Overwatch with Marvel heroes". Polygon. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Wu, Stephen (May 30, 2024). "Marvel Rivals is coming to PS5: Venom and Adam Warlock revealed, Closed Beta test announced for July". PlayStation.Blog. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  3. ^ Morgan, Thomas (July 31, 2024). "Marvel Rivals pushes Unreal Engine 5 hard - and Series S can't quite hack it". Eurogamer.net.
  4. ^ Tailby, Stephen (May 30, 2024). "Marvel Rivals Officially Confirmed for PS5, Closed Beta Test in July". Push Square. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  5. ^ Doolan, Liam (May 31, 2024). "New Free-To-Play PVP Shooter 'Marvel Rivals' Locks In Xbox Release". Pure Xbox. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Parrish, Ash (March 27, 2024). "Marvel Rivals is a mix of Overwatch and superhero battles". The Verge. Archived from the original on March 30, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Watts, Steve (May 30, 2024). "Marvel Rivals Coming To Consoles, PS5 Beta And Exclusive Spidey Costume Confirmed". GameSpot. Archived from the original on May 31, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  8. ^ Bonthuys, Darryn (March 28, 2024). "Marvel Rivals Characters: Every Superhero And Supervillain Revealed So Far". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  9. ^ Hilliard, Kyle (May 31, 2024). "Venom And Adam Warlock Are Coming To Marvel Rivals, Closed Beta In July". Game Informer. Archived from the original on May 31, 2024. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  10. ^ Dedmon, Tanner (April 12, 2024). "Marvel Rivals Reveals Yggsgard Map, Hela Teaser". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  11. ^ Parijat, Shubhankar (April 30, 2024). "Marvel Rivals Trailer Reveals Tokyo 2099 Map". GamingBolt.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  12. ^ Barovic, Andrej; Robertson, Scott; Challies, Josh (May 12, 2024). "All Marvel Rivals modes confirmed so far". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on July 13, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  13. ^ Hashimoto, Marika (March 27, 2024). "Marvel Rivals PVP Shooter Boasts Incredible Lineup of Marvel Characters". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  14. ^ Porfiri, Steven (May 31, 2024). "Marvel Rivals Confirms When You Can Play on Console, Plus a PS5 Exclusive Skin". Game Rant. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  15. ^ Romano, Sal (March 27, 2024). "Team-based PvP third-person shooter Marvel Rivals announced for PC". Gematsu. Archived from the original on April 1, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  16. ^ Watson, Cole (March 28, 2024). "NetEase is developing a Marvel Rivals multiplayer game". KidScreen. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Maas, Jennifer (March 27, 2024). "'Marvel Rivals' Free-to-Play Game Featuring Rocket Raccoon, Spider-Man, Magneto, Magik and 12 More Characters to Launch in May". Variety. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  18. ^ Cornelia, Michelle (May 15, 2024). "Marvel Rivals Closed Alpha: All permanent rewards & how to get them". Dexerto. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  19. ^ Gould-Wilson, Jasmine (May 13, 2024). "Marvel's answer to Overwatch issues apology for leaked contract that would have banned streamers from saying anything bad about the game". GamesRadar+. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  20. ^ Deschamps, Marc (June 26, 2024). "Marvel Rivals Announces Console Beta Dates and Details". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on July 3, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  21. ^ "Closed Beta Test Date Announcement & Console Sign-up Is Starting". Marvel Rivals. June 26, 2024. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  22. ^ Gilbert, Fraser (March 27, 2024). "'Marvel Rivals' Dev Hints At Possible Xbox Version Following PC Launch". Pure Xbox. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  23. ^ Anhalt, Bobby (March 27, 2024). "Marvel Rivals Console Version Possible". Game Rant. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  24. ^ Bailey, Kat (May 30, 2024). "Marvel Rivals Is Coming to PS5 and Xbox - State of Play 2024". IGN. Archived from the original on May 30, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  25. ^ Myers, Maddy (May 30, 2024). "Marvel Rivals is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X". Polygon. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
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