This is an IGN opinion piece from Carlos Morales, who is a massive fan of Marvel whether it’s comics, movies, or video games. He’s sunk well over 1,000 hours into Marvel Rivals.
Marvel Rivals Season 10 is now available, and it’s coming at a time of crisis for NetEase’s premiere hero shooter. What was once a smash hit success on launch back in December of 2024 has now become a confused mess of developer priorities as more and more players drop off in favor of games with a clearer sense of direction. Making a live-service game work long term is a feat only a handful of dev teams have managed to achieve, and during its first year it seemed like Rivals was set to join that club. But between consistent balancing problems and a lack of integrity in competitive mode, NetEase’s penchant for predatory monetization creeping into the store, and controversies around character cosmetics that some players believe to be racially motivated, Rivals has found itself floundering when it should be hitting new heights.
These problems can’t be something that Marvel and Disney are too happy about, especially since Avengers: Doomsday, which is almost certain to be a financial success, is only a few short months away and could generate a large influx of new players. Let’s take a look at what’s gone wrong with Marvel Rivals, and what NetEase needs to do to turn things around.
To say that Rivals has had a recurring problem with balancing is something of an understatement.
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