In a celebratory message, theMarvel Rivalsaccount on X revealed that20 million players have played the game since its releaseon December 6. It’s no surprise that the game has continued to explode in popularity given that Netease announced, after the game’s first weekend of release, it had 10 million players already. Turns out, releasing a free-to-play Triple-A quality hero shooter based on one of the most franchises in the world on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC was a smart move. As a reward for the millions of players across all platforms, a special Galactica spray celebrating the milestone will be available to everyone that logs in between December 20 and January 10.
Marvel Rivals is already the most successful console game in the history of NetEase, a company known for specializing in mobile games that feature gatcha mechanics. By contrast,Marvel Rivals has no loot boxesand the Battlepass is unique in that it will never expire and you can always go back and purchase it to collect the exclusive skins, emotes and sprays. For a company built on what some governments consider to be predatory tactics, the massively-successful hero shooter is shockingly player friendly, which is likely why it’s such a hit.
Marvel Rivals Proves There’s An Audience For Hero Shooters
First Marvel Rivals Patch Fixes Game-Warping Dr. Strange Glitch
Days after release, the first Marvel Rivals patch is here with dozens of bug fixes, but no major balance adjustments.
Coming out a few months afterConcordcrashed and burned,the content-heavy launch of Marvel Rivalsfound an immediate audience, while Sony’s hero shooter was dead on arrival. NetEase director Thaddeus Sasser took aim at Concord by saying “I think the trick is that you need to have that reason that people want to come and play your game.” Of course, it helps to have access to the entire roster of Marvel characters, includingfan favorite Jeff the Land Sharkand his overtuned ultimate that can wipe out an entire team in three seconds.
Marvel Rivals is already the most successful console game in the history of NetEase, a company known for specializing in mobile games that feature gatcha mechanics.
The comparisons between Marvel Rivals andOverwatch 2started with the former’s original reveal trailer, and now, after the massivel- successful launch, have only increased. On one hand, complaining that Black Widow is similar to Widowmaker right down to the name is a silly argument, since the Russian super-spy debuted in 1964 and Widowmaker is actually ripping her off, but on the other, there’s movesets that seem to be similar. Granted, plenty of games have a character that can establish a turret, or someone with a bow and arrow who’s really good at ranged attacks, but the real problem is that while Marvel Rivals is flourishing, Overwatch 2 has been struggling to retain its playerbase. Fans of Blizzard’s hero shooter have been dropping off and it’s likely that most of those lapsed players have become part of the 20 million that made Marvel Rivals one of the biggest game launches in history.
Marvel Rivals: 9 Tips and Tricks We Wish We Knew Sooner
The nature of the game is fast paced, with a lot of different abilities to master. It can seem overwhelming to new players.
Marvel Rivals
