Image: NetEase Games
A lot of people were playing Marvel Rivals at launch.
NetEase Games’ superhero shooter Marvel Rivals has proven to be a Hulk-smashing success, racking up 10 million players in its first three days of release. The game publisher announced the news on its Twitter/X account, noting that the “incredible milestone” was reached after just 72 hours.
Marvel Rivals is also rolling out a patch later today to fix up issues “related to Maps, Game Modes, Heroes, and other content.”
10 million players assemble for Marvel Rivals opening weekend
It’s safe to say that the free-to-play shooter Marvel Rivals is shaping up to be a big success for publisher NetEase Games, having seen 10 million players hop in over the last weekend. The 6v6 hero shooter allows players to step into the superpowered shoes of heroes and villains from across the Marvel universe, ranging from icons like Wolverine and Scarlet Witch to more obscure characters like Squirrel Girl and Jeff the Land Shark.
The game has been compared to Blizzard Entertainment’s hero shooter Overwatch, due to the similarities of its multiplayer format and hero kits. The assassin Black Widow, for example, is a sniper much like Overwatch’s Widowmaker – a fact that was not lost on ex-Blizzard president Mike Ybarra, who unfavourably compared the two characters in a now-deleted tweet.
Any noticeable similarities between Marvel Rivals and Overwatch clearly haven’t hurt the former shooter, however. Players are flocking online to discuss the game at length – mostly by complaining about Jeff the Land Shark, whose ult allows him to carry enemy players off the map, or Iron Fist, who has become incredibly oppressive to Support players in-game.
NetEase will likely begin to nerf the game’s stronger characters in due time. For now, the company has announced a patch arriving later today to fix “multiple issues” relating to “Maps, Game Modes, Heroes, and other content.” The update arrives on December 10 at 12am PST, but there will be no maintenance period for it.
