Marvel Rivals fuses the Avengers with Overwatch

A superhero-based shooter with combined powers and dynamic maps

NetEase Games / Marvel Games

Marvel Rivals is a newly-announced superhero-based PvP third-person shooter developed by a team at NetEase Games that includes veterans from the Call of Duty and Battlefield series. It’ll feature a storyline in which several universes collide in the Timestream Entanglement because Dr. Doom is battling his future self from 2099. Marvel Rivals will be available for PC only.

Confirmed characters for Marvel Rivals are Iron Man, Spider-Man, Magneto, Black Panther, Hulk, Rocket, Groot, Scarlet Witch, Storm, and Magik with “many more” to be revealed – yes, heroes and villains will both be playable. In total “over a dozen” characters will be included at launch.

Speaking of which: There is no release date for Marvel Rivals yet, though an alpha test is set for May 2024.

One of the standout features of Marvel Rivals will be the combined attacks that can be executed if a team features a specific combination of characters. Examples of these include Rocket riding on Groot’s back and Hulk charging up Iron Man’s armor with gamma energy to boost his power.

Certain characters can team up to unleash powerful combo attacks. / NetEase Games / Marvel Games

Teams in the game will consist of six players each, giving you space for up to three such unique combos.

Another key pillar of the shooter will be its dynamic environments: From Asgard to 2099 Tokyo, environments caught up in these devastating battles won’t remain untouched. Destruction will reshape battlefields over the course of a game, opening up fresh tactical opportunities – you’ll create cover for yourself or get to use rubble as improvised weaponry.

Naturally, this will be a live-service game with a seasonal schedule of updates being planned that will add new content on a regular basis.

Producer Stephen Wu stated in a press release: “We are overjoyed to bring Marvel Rivals to players around the world. We have always loved Marvel’s universe and its characters, and we are so excited to develop this game. This is the game we want to make, and we feel very lucky to be the team who made all of this come true.”

Both heroes and villains from the Marvel universe will be available in the game. / NetEase Games / Marvel Games

“NetEase Games is excited to collaborate with Marvel Games to deliver a thrilling, fast-paced cooperative gameplay experience featuring all of your favorite Super Heroes,” commented Ethan Wang, senior vice president of NetEase. “This partnership with Marvel Games continues our commitment to build world-class development teams and reach global audiences with cutting edge experiences.”

“Marvel Rivals is one of our most ambitious game development projects. Since the conceptualization of the game and throughout our collaboration, 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,” added Jay Ong, the head of Marvel Games.

Interested gamers can sign up for future playtests on the official website. A trailer is available on YouTube.