Summary
- Marvel Rivals prioritizes fun over competitive balance, focusing on providing an enjoyable experience for all players.
- Despite not being the top priority, the developers analyze data to prevent any character from being too dominant or oppressive.
- The game's flashy and impressive abilities cater to both casual and competitive players, with a focus on accessibility and enjoyment.
A developer of Marvel Rivals clarified the team's stance on the game's competitive play balance, saying that it isn't the top priority compared to tuning the game's other aspects. Available for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X and S, Marvel Rivals brings together heroes and villains from across the Marvel multiverse to compete against each other in team-based battles.
Despite only being a few months old, Marvel Rivals has easily become one of the biggest multiplayer hits of the year so far. Millions of players came to try one of the largest hero shooter rosters around, populated by creative interpretations of iconic Marvel characters. That list is set to grow further as Marvel Rivals launches new content seasons and playable characters.
Predicting Marvel Rivals Season 2's New Characters
According to the in-game battle pass clock, Marvel Rivals Season 2 is set to begin in April, and it'll bring two new playable characters to the table.
Keeping Marvel Rivals characters properly balanced in competitive play is a major task, but according to an interview published by PC Gamer with Marvel Games Executive Producer Danny Koo, competitive balance isn't the "top" priority for the team. Koo said that the Marvel Rivals development team at NetEase is focused on "fun, first and foremost."
Marvel Rivals Developers Prioritize Fun Characters over Perfect Balance
In his comments, Koo mentioned that while competitive balance isn't the "number one" priority, the team does study the data on win rates and other metrics drawn from the game for every character to ensure that no single character is too "painful" or "oppressive" to play against. In other words, if an overpowered Marvel Rivals character becomes too dominant, their fun can come at the expense of others', likely necessitating adjustments down the line.
Koo said that the focus on fun helps the game be more accessible to play for casual players who care less about whether they win or lose and more about having a good time. Whether it's a creative Doctor Strange portal trick involving the Invisible Woman or yet more antics from Jeff the Land Shark, Marvel Rivals abilities are often quite flashy and impressive to use in any given match. Koo said that casual and competitive players do coexist, but that casual players outnumber competitive ones. He acknowledged that fans of competitive play do want ways to "show off their mastery" of the game, though, so the team pays close attention to matchmaking and community data to find the best approaches.
With Marvel Rivals' popularity blossoming in 2025, it's no surprise that the development team feels that its focus on providing a fun experience above a balanced one is paying off. It'll take more time to find out if that angle is fully sustainable, considering that competitive balance can help players commit to a game and master it in the long term.
Marvel Rivals
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 78 /100 Critics Rec: 84%
- Released
- December 6, 2024
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Violence
- Developer(s)
- NetEase Games
- Publisher(s)
- NetEase Games
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Action, Multiplayer
