Breakdown
- NetEase has revealed Marvel Rivals, a new free-to-play shooter
- Inspired by Overwatch, you’ll engage in superhero and villain 6V6 brawls across multiple locations
- Every map has destructible elements, allowing you to destroy Asgard, Tokyo 2099 and more
NetEase has officially announced Marvel Rivals, a free-to-play 6v6 superhero action game that brings Marvel’s iconic superheroes into an Overwatch multiplayer bonanza. Combining some of the most popular Super Heroes Villains from across the Marvel universe, and multiverse, NetEase’s upcoming shooter looks like a blast.
Unlike the now-5v5 gameplay of Overwatch 2, Marvel Rivals will feature full 6v6 team-based battles across a variety of maps inspired by the comic books’ coolest locations. From Thor’s Norse homeworld of Asgard to the futuristic Tokyo 2099, you’ll be able to duke it out in places rarely visited by Marvel video games before.
By far the coolest part of Marvel Rivals is the introduction of Hero Synergy moves. Some heroes work together in ways similar to the team-up moves of Marvel Ultimate Alliance, albeit in a very useful, game-altering way for multiplayer. For example, Rocket Raccoon players can ride on Groot’s back, and Hulk players can power-up Iron Man’s armour with a massive burst of Gamma radiation.
Marvel Rivals also makes use of destructible environments, giving players a true sense of superhero power. Your superpowers will be able to rip apart the environment whether that's with Hulk’s super-strength of Rocket’s explosives. Similar to The Finals, this destruction tech will reshape the world around you, allowing you to find new pathways to your objectives.
The Marvel Rivals characters list will bring together a bunch of heroes and villains from across the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men and more in one hectic PvP game. You’ll be able to play as over a dozen characters including Black Panther, Spider-Man, Magneto, Magik and more.
Despite its multiplayer nature, NetEase has also created an evolving story for the game. In the game, a merciless clash between the tyrannical dictator Doctor Doom and his future counterpart from the year 2099 has forced countless universes to collide in a Timestream Entanglement. This multiverse calamity creates new worlds causing heroes and villains from across the multiverse to battle against each other while also trying to defeat both Dooms.
A closed alpha test will take place sometime this May, allowing players to get their hands on the game ahead of launch. However, the title is currently only planned for PC with no console launch currently revealed.
“Marvel Rivals is one of our most ambitious game development projects. Since the conceptualization of the game and throughout our collaboration,” said Jay Ong, Head of Marvel Games. “Our Marvel team has poured our hearts and souls into this project, and we are thrilled to work with the incredible team at NetEase Games to help deliver the ultimate Super Hero Team-Based PVP Shooter.”
The Marvel Rivals release date has not been set at the time of writing.