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Marvel Rivals is getting a rather fantastic group of four new heroes over Season 1, and NetEase isn't stopping there. The plan is to release multiple heroes a season, meaning a new face should join the roaster every month-and-a-half.
Speaking to the Metro, game director Guangyun Chen says the seasonal model for Marvel Rivals is to roll out "fresh seasonal stories, new maps, and new heroes," but there's more to be gleaned. While each season lasts three months, they'll be split in half, and for every half of the season, NetEase wants to introduce a new hero.
"We just eventually want to continue to enhance the experience, and, you know, keep everyone excited in our community," Chen says.
Keeping up a cadence of a new hero every six weeks seems like a tall order, though NetEase has plenty of material to draw on given Marvel's back catalog. That said, as per our guide for Marvel Rivals upcoming characters, the plan is already in motion. Season 1 kicked off by introducing Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, while The Thing and the Human Torch will have to sit on the bench until the season's halfway point. It's likely we won't always get four new heroes a season, though a minimum of two is still a decent shift.
Although he acknowledges the community feedback, Chen doesn't confirm if a balance between Duelists, Vanguards, and Strategists will level out after introducing so many heroes.
"Our choice of heroes will be guided by the overall gameplay experience or theme that we want to create for each season," he says. "So it’ll revolve around the season, and right now, at post-launch, we have eight Vanguards and seven Strategists at launch. The team believes that it gives the players a solid variety for tactical match-ups or team composition. Having more Duelists at the moment will definitely enhance the Duelist experience, letting players dive a little bit deeper into that aspect.
"So lastly, big shout out to our community, as we’ve seen a lot of feedback as we look ahead to future seasons, starting with Season One, we would definitely keep this in mind when introducing new heroes, and we would make want to make sure that everyone feels heard and excited."
