Marvel Rivals loot boxes could be on the way according to datamine, and after nearly 10 years of post-Overwatch controversy you may be stunned to learn some players think it's a good thing

Marvel Rivals takes plenty of cues from Overwatch, and a new datamine suggests that it may be lifting one more bit from the hero shooter that defined the genre: loot boxes. Perhaps the most surprising thing about the possibility is that the community seems pretty well split on whether it would be a good thing.

"In Season 4, logic for the 'Mysteries' player component was reintroduced," according to RivalsInfo on Twitter. "'Mysteries' is the codename for loot boxes. Within this component, there are multiple references to mystery box logic, such as 'cosmic mysteries number' and 'BOX_OPEN_HISTORY_CHANGE', which further confirms that it relates to the old loot box system."

You can read the replies to that post either on Twitter or Reddit for yourself, but they range from "How to absolutely ruin a game 101" to "If it's handled the way OW 2 is doing them, then hell yeah, basically just more free shit." The negative responses probably have slightly more traction, but if you – like me – were around for all the controversy about loot boxes in the late '10s, you might be surprised to hear there's any positive sentiment here at all.

The key question, of course, is whether you'll be able to pay real money for these items. "I've seen nothing referenced to purchasing a loot box," RivalsInfo adds in a follow-up tweet. "These could very well be earned from challenges or from the battle pass."

Overwatch was not the first game to feature loot boxes by any stretch, but it helped popularize the system across a wide variety of online games. By 2017, players had more or less gone into revolt against loot boxes as a concept, likening the purchase of a mystery item containing random bonuses to a form of gambling.

There were legal challenges to this type of microtransaction around the world, and the backlash against loot box-driven games like Battlefront 2 combined with the increasing popularity of Fortnite-style battle passes to effectively kill loot boxes as a popular form of monetization. Overwatch 2 reintroduced loot boxes earlier this year to a broadly positive response, and a big reason for the change in heart from the community is due to the fact that they're free now.

Exactly what form the Marvel Rivals loot boxes take – or indeed whether they actually get implemented in the game at all – remains to be seen. Season 4 is scheduled to launch on September 12, adding both Daredevil and Angela to the roster.

If you're looking for Marvel Rivals codes, you know where to click.