Marvel Rivals Dev Faces Social Media Pressure, Announces Major Season 3 Changes

NetEase Games is making significant changes to the Marvel Rivals post-launch roadmap, aiming to shorten its seasons and introduce at least one new hero every month. This strategic shift is designed to maintain the live service momentum and keep players engaged with the game.

These updates were hinted at during the Marvel Rivals Season 2 Dev Vision Vol. 5 video, a 15-minute presentation that detailed the upcoming content. Season 2, set to launch on April 11, will introduce Emma Frost as the new Vanguard, with Ultron joining mid-season. Both characters will bring fresh abilities to the game, but the real transformation in how heroes impact gameplay will start in Season 3.

In Marvel Rivals Season 3, which does not yet have a release date, NetEase plans to reduce season lengths from three months to two. This change will accelerate major content updates while maintaining the commitment to release at least one new hero every half-season. This means players won't have to wait as long between new hero releases, starting with the hero following Ultron.

Marvel Rivals creative director Guangyun Chen shared in the Dev Vision video, "Since the launch of Season 1, we’ve been deeply contemplating how Marvel Rivals can continuously deliver fun and engaging experiences for you all. Social media discussions have added pressure to keep the game exciting, and to a certain extent, we agree."

Chen emphasized the goal of keeping the audience's excitement alive, stating, "With our goal of keeping the audience’s excitement alive just like our opening months, the real adventure with Marvel Rivals is just beginning." He further explained that NetEase aims to fulfill players' fantasies about Marvel Super Heroes by introducing new modes and a diverse roster of characters. After extensive internal discussions and evaluations, NetEase will adjust its systems to accommodate the increased content flow, with more details to be shared before Season 3 launches.

Just hours ago, NetEase pulled back the curtain on Marvel Rivals Season 2, announcing a shift from the vampire takeover theme to a new storyline centered around the Hellfire Gala. This change will bring new outfits, maps, and characters, with more information to be revealed in the coming weeks.

Since its launch in December, Marvel Rivals has been a massive success, attracting 10 million players in just three days. The game, a free-to-play superhero team-based PvP shooter, was released on December 6 across PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. On Steam, it achieved a peak of 480,990 concurrent players at launch, and Season 1 in January saw an impressive 644,269 concurrent players, making it the 15th most-played game on Valve's platform.

Despite a recent decline in concurrent players, Marvel Rivals remains highly popular and ranks among Steam's most-played games. The launch of Season 2 is expected to boost player engagement, with further excitement anticipated for Season 3.

For more insights into Marvel Rivals, check out the patch notes for update version 20250327 and learn why Disney decided to scrap an idea for a Marvel Gaming Universe.