Image: NetEase Games
Kiss your cosmetic mods goodbye in Marvel Rivals.
NetEase Games is cracking down on mods in Marvel Rivals. The hero shooter’s big Season 1 update has quietly disabled all in-game mods, including popular cosmetic mods created to give playable heroes new costumes.
Players were once able to turn Jeff the Land Shark into Pochita from Chainsaw Man or the Winter Soldier into Deadpool, for example. Now those days are seemingly over.
Marvel Rivals Season 1 update disables in-game mods
In-game mods for Marvel Rivals became available not long after its launch on December 6, 2024. As the game ramped up to its first season of content, popular mods on platforms like Nexus Mods allowed players to give their favourite heroes new cosmetic makeovers. For example, players could turn Iron Man into Vegeta, and give Mantis and Magik goth makeovers.
It’s not all about cosmetics, though. Several mods were more focused on changing or improving gameplay, such as by disabling character outlines, improving performance, or disabling mouse acceleration. Mod users might also be able to gain a competitive edge by modifying in-game files for less innocent reasons than these.
To keep players from cheating via in-game mods, NetEase has made it clear that the usage of mods violates Marvel Rivals’ terms of use. However, the developer hasn’t cracked down on mod users from banning them just yet. In Season 1, it took a more peaceful approach by adding asset hash checking to the game, thereby disabling mods entirely.
Technical workarounds are still available for those willing to go the extra mile to make their mods work in Marvel Rivals, but for most players, this update spells the end of their in-game modding shenanigans. Even if NetEase was willing to accept players modifying in-game files to gain a competitive edge, it is unlikely that the developer was going to allow cosmetic mods to threaten the revenue it rakes in from selling hero skins.
Marvel Rivals Season 1 is now live, adding the Fantastic Four and several new maps to the game.
