Smurfing Now Punishable in Marvel Rivals’ New Update

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Now, four months following the game’s launch, NetEase has announced in their latest update that they will be taking action against players who engage in smurfing, which involves manipulating the competitive ranking system for an unfair advantage. Consequently, these offenders can expect to receive a ban.

It’s been noted that the latest update for Season 2 includes a new option to report players who are smurfing, in addition to the regular categories for Cheating and Poor Sportsmanship. This means that now, it’s possible for players to submit reports when they encounter someone who appears to be intentionally using a lower-level account to gain an unfair advantage.

In competitive video games, Smurfing – where experienced players create new accounts to dominate lower skill brackets – has long been an ongoing challenge, particularly in games that emphasize high mechanical skill. Titles like Overwatch 2, Apex Legends, and Fortnite have grappled with this issue throughout their competitive lifetimes. Despite having measures to curb excessive Smurfing, the approach NetEase has taken with Marvel Rivals stands out as more user-friendly – by simply clicking on a player’s name, you can report them directly.

The issue of smurfing in Marvel Rivals has become more apparent with the introduction of a new season. In response, NetEase opted to decrease everyone’s rank by nine divisions, causing those who once reached the Celestial Rank (Top 500) to now find themselves in Platinum or Diamond tiers. This change has caused complications for novice players attempting to climb the ranks, as they are often pitted against experienced high-elo opponents.

In the game Marvel Rivals, creating additional accounts to gain an advantage over other players is referred to as “smurfing”. Remarkably, it doesn’t take much effort, as all you need is a Level 15 account to enter ranked matches. This means that low-skilled lobbies could unexpectedly encounter a highly skilled Spider-Man, who might be a top-tier veteran on another account. Some smurfers utilize new characters like Emma Frost for practice without impacting their primary account’s performance, which can lead to unbalanced matches. Therefore, if you’re puzzled about why that particular Emma Frost is excelling, it could either be a fortunate day for them or a skilled player testing out The White Queen on a secondary account.

Implementing a fresh reporting mechanism should bring a respite for Marvel Rivals from the influx of fake user accounts, often referred to as “smurf” accounts. NetEase has been attentive to player suggestions since the launch and remains committed to enhancing the gameplay experience until it’s enjoyable for all.

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2025-04-18 14:43