Marvel Rivals: Can the Devs Sustain 1 Hero per Month?

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The lineup of characters in Marvel Rivals is growing steadily. Since its debut in December, NetEase Games has consistently added new updates to this team-based shooter game. To keep things exciting, they plan to speed up the rate at which they introduce new heroes.

In Season 1, we were introduced to four protagonists known as the Fantastic Four. If you found the pace of releases to be quick, brace yourself, it’s going to pick up speed even more. However, the question arises: Can this pace be maintained over the long term?

A Change of Pace

According to the latest developer update for the forthcoming season, the game director, Guangguang, revealed that as of Season 3, the seasons will be shortened to a duration of two months. Notably, a fresh hero is slated to make its appearance every month starting from then on.

Previously, each season ran for three months, with new characters being introduced every 1.5 months. The first season debuted with Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, while the mid-season update (Season 1.5) brought in the Human Torch and the Thing.

Currently, it seems that Season 2 will last for three months and could be its finale, but they’re gradually eliminating one character at a time. The latest addition is Emma Frost, which players receive with the game launch. It’s anticipated that the villainous robot, Ultron, will appear midway through the second season. Therefore, NetEase has chosen to keep details about his character under wraps for now.

Can Marvel Rivals Keep This Up?

Before Marvel Rivals announced their plan to release a new hero every month, many fans had concerns that the rate at which they were introducing characters might be too fast, potentially leading to difficulties for the studio in the future.

It’s important to point out that while snooping around, data miners have found several potential characters for Marvel Rivals who might not yet be officially revealed. This suggests that the developers may have a rich reserve of future content, which could trickle out over more than a year.

As a gamer, I’ve got some exciting news to share! From what’s been leaked so far, we can expect characters like me (Captain Marvel), MODOK, Blade, Shuri, Angela (Thor’s sister), Deadpool, Valkyrie, The Hood, Hit-Monkey, and Paste Pot Pete/Trapster. But that’s not all! There are also whispers of several X-Men joining the game. Besides Emma Frost, rumors suggest we might see Cyclops, Jean Grey, Rogue, Beast, Nightcrawler, Jubilee, Gambit, and even Professor X! Can’t wait to see how these characters will shake up the gaming world!

Each year, it’s anticipated that 12 new heroes will join Rivals’ ranks, indicating a rich pool of characters in development. Additionally, there are some characters yet to be revealed. The anticipation among fans is high as they hope the game will add more members to the Guardians of the Galaxy team. Furthermore, there are other teams like Magneto’s Brotherhood or offshoot groups such as the Young Avengers and Thunderbolts that could also provide new characters for the game.

NetEase vs Blizzard

From a fan’s perspective, I appreciate NetEase’s transparency regarding their strategy for character equilibrium. Instead of being overly analytical like Blizzard, they’re opting for a more organic approach by introducing novel characters to counterbalance any imbalances—rather than frequently modifying existing character abilities, which seems to be Overwatch’s preferred method.

The sustainability of Rivals remains uncertain, however, it’s evident that the developers had a solid plan in place at launch. Moreover, they possess a rich pool of characters that could potentially extend the lifespan of this successful live-service game.

Starting from April 11th, I’m thrilled to dive into Season 2 of Marvel Rivals! This epic battle game is now available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PS5 platforms, so get ready to join the action!

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2025-04-04 01:12