Marvel Rivals has proven itself as a competitor with staying power when it comes to the live service space, and its reach is only expanding. However, the recent announcement of a Marvel Rivals PlayStation 4 port highlights an area where the game is leaving money on the table: Nintendo Switch 2.
Despite Marvel Rivals' player count taking a hit compared to its peak, the game has been weathering the industry storm amicably. The 2020s have been a graveyard for live service games, especially those that have aimed at the crown of titles like Overwatch 2, but Marvel Rivals still has quite the hype train to speed it into its next season. If it wants to fill said train to capacity, NetEase need look no further than Nintendo's latest hardware.
Marvel Rivals Can't Keep Wasting a Prime Opportunity To Expand Its War with Overwatch
With comparisons between hero-shooters Marvel Rivals and Overwatch 2 inevitable, there's one feature the former should focus on to outdo the latter.
Marvel Rivals' PS4 Port Announcement Makes Its Lack of Switch 2 Presence Glaring
Fans have been graced with the reveal of a Marvel Rivals PS4 port alongside Season 4's big new trailer, something that's been rumored for a while—with those same rumors suggesting that this port's release date may be right on the horizon. Given the steep cost of newer consoles and the incredible range of options available on older hardware, it's likely that this release will open up a whole new audience for the title.
A Switch 2 Port Is Possible, But NetEase Doesn't Have The Tools
The new port on PS4 has, naturally, re-opened questions about Marvel Rivals on Switch 2, something fans last heard about back in July. Back then, game director Guangyun Chen reported interest in a Switch 2 port, but stated that NetEase is still in the process of getting its hands on a dev kit for the console; even when the studio finally gets a development kit, it would still take some months for a port to be released. Furthermore, a port on the original Switch would be impossible, given the system's lacking specifications for Unreal Engine 5.
There's no question that the Switch 2, despite continued skepticism around the console, has netted itself quite a big audience, which it has aptly secured with the incredibly positive Donkey Kong Bananza reviews coming from fans and critics alike. However, the console has yet to truly prove itself in the online sphere, especially with the small (but by no means negligible) group of fandom critics that have cropped up against Mario Kart World's online play. The Switch 2 could really do with a solid port of a big game like Marvel Rivals, especially considering the reputation its predecessor had with online gaming.
Aside from the myriad of criticisms that have been levied against the Switch's online service, with many fans disliking the quality of connection offered, the lack of features at launch, and its gatekeeping of classing Nintendo titles, the other big issue the Switch has had is with third-party online support. Nintendo has never truly embraced online gaming the way PlayStation and Xbox consoles have, and that's often been to the platform's benefit. However, the lack of support from publishers has been noticeable (with Andrew Wilson, for instance, only recently taking a more positive outlook toward EA's presence on Nintendo systems). This has led to little choice at best and lackluster ports at worst, causing games like Fortnite and Apex Legends to gather dust on the original Switch.
What's striking about the situation with Marvel Rivals is the clear interest from NetEase to provide a port, only held back by the lack of dev kits. While it's hard to say what the specifics of the situation are, it would only make sense for Nintendo to pour more energy into getting Marvel Rivals on Switch 2 more assiduously. The platform is seeing far greater third-party support than its predecessor already, yes, but a big new online game taking over the platform via a solid port would go a long way to give Nintendo a serious seat at the online gaming table.
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
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Action, Multiplayer
