It looks like NetEase isn’t done with Marvel just yet. After Marvel Super War and Marvel Duel, the Chinese publisher is branching out with something more ambitious and, quite possibly, better.
According to the recent reports, NetEase’s next Marvel game is “Marvel Rivals”, a 6v6 third-person shooter for consoles and PC that plays similarly to Overwatch but has the stylized art of Valorant.
However, there seem to be conflicting statements about whether it’s a shooter or not.
Hey Miller. Is this image real? I saw it on Reddit. pic.twitter.com/PAbSe638Dn
— PizzaLord (@pizzalord456) March 27, 2024
On one hand, most leaks describe it as a shooter. But, if you ask Miller Ross, who has a reliable track record of leaking legitimate information surrounding the now-defunct game, The Avengers, and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, the upcoming Marvel is a third-person title and not a shooter, clarifying that it won’t be like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League “where everyone has guns despite their powerset.” Furthermore, Ross adds that certain characters may have first-person perspectives “for specific actions” although he hasn’t seen it in action yet.
So far, this the confirmed launch lineup for Marvel Rivals:
- Bruce Banner
- The Punisher
- Storm
- Loki
- Doctor Strange
- Mantis
- Rocket Raccoon
- Black Panther
- Groot
- Magik
- Luna Snow
- Iron Man
- Spider-Man
- Magneto
Additional heroes are planned for Marvel Rivals, with new arrivals coming every season, including Thor and Moon Knight.
Finally, Marvel Rivals will reportedly feature familiar game modes like Escort, where the players will guide a convoy to a specific location, or a King of the Hill mode, where the win condition is controlling a specific area. At least two maps will be available at launch, including Odin’s Vault and a recreation of a real-life city that isn’t New York.
So far, these are the important details regarding Marvel Rivals that are available as of the moment. Thankfully, we won’t have to wait for long to find out more. TheStreamr claims that NetEase will announce Marvel Rivals on March 27 at 8:00 AM PT / 11:00 AM ET.
Making a Marvel game in the mold of Overwatch and Valorant sounds like a great idea until you realize how difficult it is to pull off. You can’t exactly just go the Fortnite route and have reskinned versions of each character but with guns. Instead, for the game to stay authentic, heroes like Iron Man and Spider-Man have to move and play like their comic book and movie counterparts. This would make balancing difficult since some heroes’ strengths including being able to fly all over the map.
However, with proper execution, Marvel Rivals could work and fill the hole left by the recent cancelation ofMarvel’s Spider-Man: The Great Web.
Speaking of new Marvel games, a string of so-so releases in Marvel’s Avengers, Marvel’s Midnight Suns, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s ongoing struggles haven’t discouraged anyone from trying to cash in on the hype.
At the moment, there are several non-Insomniac Games Marvel titles in development, including Motive Studio’s Iron Man game, Xbox’s Marvel’s Blade, Electronic Arts’ Black Panther title, and Amy Hennig’s Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, which recently impressed everyone with its reveal trailer.
