Even with characters from one of the biggest and most beloved IPs of all time, Marvel Rivals maker NetEase was still taking a significant risk releasing a live-service hero shooter in 2024, just months after PlayStation launched and then subsequently killed its own similar game, Concord.
Unsurprisingly, that risk was not lost on NetEase, with publishing and marketing lead Yachen Bian telling GamesRadar+ at this year's GDC that the team felt "panic" stepping into the live-service graveyard. But instead of expecting failure, the team set out to ensure it didn't step into the same pitfalls of the dead live-service shooters laying around its feet.
(This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.)
"After we launched the game, I think the team, we were just continuing to think of ways to make the game better," Bian says. Some of the ways it did that included speeding up the release of new content, embracing creator communities through its dedicated partner program, and building a "very strong community," according to Bian.
Chiming in, executive producer Danny Koo agrees "live-service games are hard" and "not guaranteed," attributing Marvel Rivals' success partially to "early testing. Test often, get enough feedback, and address it," he says.
"Making sure that we position it well before we launch the game [was key], so we have a long year of conversation before we even attempted to launch the game."
I'm sure the actual reason Marvel Rivals thrived when so many other high-profile shooters failed is multifaceted, but simply releasing a playable game at launch really does seem like a shockingly novel concept that other devs would be wise to take note of. Whether Marvel Rivals will be able to stay competitive in the space as Overwatch attempts its big comeback is anyone's guess, but there's no denying its launch was a rare success in an increasingly volatile market.
In the meantime, check out all upcoming Marvel Rivals characters and our Marvel Rivals hero tier list.
