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

NetEase Games is making significant adjustments to the Marvel Rivals post-launch roadmap, aiming to keep players engaged by shortening season durations and introducing at least one new hero each month. This major shift in the content release schedule was highlighted in the latest Marvel Rivals Season 2 Dev Vision Vol. 5 video. The video, which lasts 15 minutes, announced that Season 2, launching on April 11, will introduce the new Vanguard hero, Emma Frost, and Ultron, whose class details will be unveiled closer to his mid-season debut. Both characters are set to bring fresh abilities to the game, but the real transformation in gameplay dynamics will commence with Season 3.

In Marvel Rivals Season 3, which does not yet have a confirmed release date, NetEase plans to reduce season lengths from three months to two. This change will allow for quicker major content updates while maintaining the promise of introducing at least one new hero every half-season. This means that after Emma Frost's launch next week, players will have a shorter wait before the next hero arrives, compared to the wait for Ultron.

Marvel Rivals creative director Guangyun Chen elaborated on these changes in the Dev Vision video, stating, "Since the launch of Season 1, we’ve been deeply contemplating how Marvel Rivals can continuously deliver fun and engaging experiences for you all." He acknowledged the pressure from social media discussions and the need to keep the game as thrilling as it was at launch. Chen emphasized NetEase's commitment to fulfilling fans' fantasies about Marvel Super Heroes by introducing new modes and a diverse roster of characters. He mentioned that extensive internal discussions and evaluations have led to these system adjustments, with more details to be shared before Season 3's launch.

NetEase recently provided a glimpse into Marvel Rivals Season 2, announcing a shift from the vampire takeover theme to a new storyline centered around the Hellfire Gala. This will bring new outfits, maps, and characters, with further details to be revealed in the coming weeks.

Since its launch in December, Marvel Rivals has been a massive success, attracting 10 million players within three days. The game, a free-to-play superhero team-based PvP shooter, is available on 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 upcoming Season 2 and the planned changes for Season 3 are expected to reinvigorate player interest and engagement.

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.