While Marvel Rivals has unlocked my competitive spirit after years of being stomped in Call of Duty and Fortnite lobbies, the Overwatch competitor still has a ways to go yet. Season 0 is some of the most fun I’ve ever had in an online game, but it’s what NetEase Games decides to do with Season 1 that will dictate the game’s future. With barely any concurrent player losses since its release last month, Marvel Rivals is gearing up for the moment of truth. I just hope it can stick the landing.
Since it launched on Thursday December 5, 2024, Marvel Rivals has been holding incredibly strong on Steam. The free-to-play superhero multiplayer game already peaked at around 480,000 concurrents at launch, and has been easily hitting the 420,000 mark on Valve’s platform alone most days since then. Rivals debuted in a year filled with colossal successes and titanic failures, so I’ll admit that when it launched I was unsure where it would end up. That said, I’m really glad it’s doing well, because it’s the most fun I’ve had in an online game in years.
With the Marvel Rivals Season 1 release date creeping ever closer and the promise of The Fantastic Four as playable characters, this is a hero shooter that will go from strength to strength. With a roster of 33 playable characters already, Rivals thrives on giving players choices. You can switch characters and activate a team up with an ally to turn the tide, or use another hero’s ability to directly counter that pesky ult causing you trouble.
To secure a spot amongst the hero shooter and multiplayer greats, though, Marvel Rivals needs to make some changes. Right now a handful of the heroes feel completely unbalanced, like Hela and Hawkeye (who can easily two-shot you), with many players in the lower ranks picking them to dominate matches. Ranked matches in Diamond and higher do have a pick/ban system, however, which thankfully puts the power in our hands to stop anyone from using the heroes we hate most. Still, it would be nice if the lower ranks didn’t feel a sense of dread every time there’s a combo like Mantis and Hela.
NetEase Games says it will be adding more maps, heroes, and events to Marvel Rivals over time, and while this can keep people’s thirst for new content alive, it’s not all the team needs to be doing. We need balance adjustments, and if the rumored Season 1 changes that nerf heroes like Hela and Hawkeye are to be believed, Rivals is about to get them.
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