Revealed on March 27, 2024, Marvel Rivals is a 6v6 team-based competitive shooter featuring some of the best-known characters in the Marvel universe. Opting for a third-person perspective, the hero shooter is a collaboration between Marvel Entertainment and NetEase.
Already, I’m a huge fan of the art style as it’s in a similar vein to some of my favorites like Arcane, Into the Spider-Verse, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. The concept is a sound one as there’s no need to invent whole-cloth heroes and it becomes a matter of molding three to four powers for each character. In the announcement trailer, we see Magik switch to her demon form, Loki adopt the powers of Black Panther, and several combos between characters like Rocket Raccoon and Groot.
The big concerns are Marvel and NetEase not pushing microtransactions too hard and the game getting enough support from the developers and players. Titles like Marvel’s Avengers and Gundam Evolution are prime examples of a great idea that didn’t pan out thanks to the lack of aforementioned support.
I’m not one for competitive shooters and Blizzard’s complete mishandling of Overwatch 2 has soured me on the hero shooter genre, but between the art style and my love for the Marvel universe, I’m willing to put myself out there again. I suspect there are many out there who share a similar sentiment and this could be just the opportunity Marvel needs to wedge itself into a core gaming space.
When does Marvel Rivals release?
At the time of this writing, there isn’t any sort of release date for Marvel Rivals. It could launch tomorrow or it could launch in three years. We simply don’t know.
What platforms will Marvel Rivals be on?
Marvel Rivals will be released on PC (Steam) first. According to the official Discord server, the team is looking at expanding to other platforms.
Is Marvel Rivals free to play?
As is becoming the norm for competitive PvP titles, Marvel Rivals will be free-to-play. Armed with the knowledge of how other hero shooters like Valorant and Overwatch work, then it’s likely we’ll see plenty of microtransactions in the form of skins and various trinkets.
How to sign up for the Marvel Rivals Closed Alpha
To sign up for the Closed Alpha that is coming in May 2024, you’ll need to head over to this link and fill out the required form.
Which characters are in Marvel Rivals?
Featuring 19 characters from across a wide variety of Marvel properties, Marvel Rivals certainly has a strong roster. That being said, there are a few glaring omissions like Captain America and Wolverine that are sure to be released in future content updates. I’m just hoping my personal favorites, Rogue, Gambit, and Venom, make it into the roster sooner rather than later.
- Black Panther
- Doctor Strange
- Galacta
- Groot
- Hulk
- Iron Man
- Loki
- Luna Snow
- Magik
- Magneto
- Mantis
- Namor
- Peni Parker
- Punisher
- Rocket Raccoon
- Scarlet Witch
- Spider-Man
- Star-Lord
- Storm
