Mere hours after enraging Marvel Rivals players with the announcement of a mid-season rank reset, NetEase Games quickly u-turns: "Players will retain their ranks and scores"

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NetEase Games knows the mid-season reset would have put "pressure" on players

Thor looking into the camera with a steely stare
(Image credit: NetEase)

After enormous community backlash, Marvel Rivals dev NetEase Games has announced a total u-turn on the decision to implement a mid-season rank reset, just hours after it was initially announced.

Yesterday, NetEase Games broke the news to Marvel Rivals players that come the second half of Season 1 on February 21, everyone's ranks would drop by four divisions. "For example, if you ended the first half of Season 1 at Diamond 1, you'll start the second half at Platinum 2," a dev diary explained at the time. This didn't go down well at all – ranking up takes sweet time, which isn't a luxury everyone has in spades. It's a lot of progress lost when you consider that Marvel Rivals ranks will be reduced by a further six divisions at the start of a new season, too.

Thankfully, it's taken less than 14 hours for significant changes to be announced. In yet another new dev diary, NetEase Games acknowledges the "wealth of feedback" it's received, noting that "a common concern was the pressure associated with having a rank reset every half-season, which has made participating in competitive mode less enjoyable."

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While the season will still be sort of split in half – granting those at or above Gold, Grandmaster, and One Above All ranks certain rewards on February 21 – there'll no longer be a rank reset. "Players will retain their ranks and scores from the end of the first half," the post explains. "To earn new rewards, players simply need to complete 10 matches in Competitive mode and meet the relevant conditions by the end of the season. Rewards will include a new Gold rank costume and a variety of Crests of Honor, featuring distinct designs for Grandmaster, Celestial, Eternity, and One Above All."

Wrapping things up, NetEase Games says: "We strive to make Marvel Rivals the best game it can be, and the community is the driving force behind this mission!" You've really got to hand it to the devs for quickly responding to what fans actually want from their third-person shooter – it's no wonder that it continues to be so popular.

Be sure to check out our Marvel Rivals characters tier list to see who the strongest heroes in the game are right now.

Catherine Lewis
Catherine Lewis
Deputy News Editor

I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.