One of the most surprising upcoming games in 2024, Marvel Rivals, is shaping up to be NetEase’s next AAA cash cow for the foreseeable future, and rightfully so, too, with all signs, primarily since the end of its Beta test, pointing to the game’s assured success.
However, a few within the community remain worried, for the game is a hero-shooter, after all. If history has ever been a lesson, a “challenger” to another game that’s already dominating a genre has always had a slight chance of success despite everything it has going for it.
A Few Fans Believe Marvel Rivals Will Fail the Same Way as Dead by Daylight’s “Clones”
Since the end of its Closed Beta Test, the Marvel Rivals community has been hard at work helping NetEase iron out all the kinks before the game’s release, ensuring that it is completely ready for launch.
However, as previously stated, a few believe the game, despite all its promises, will ultimately fail and face an early demise. As seen in the following Reddit post, the worry stems from people’s previous experiences with such games, in this instance Video Horror Society.
Praying I don’t have to deal with this a second time
byu/IntelligentImbicle inmarvelrivals
Admittedly, it can be seen as a little unfair to compare Dead by Daylight‘s competitor to Overwatch 2‘s, given the difference in genres and the circumstances under which Video Horror Society failed, wherein the devs simply bit off more than what they could chew.
At the same time, the hero shooter genre has become unbelievably saturated, competitive, and redundant in the past few years – just take a look at Concord, which barely managed to gather enough players for its Beta test despite being a competent, albeit slightly convoluted, game.
However, that, too, is comparing apples to oranges. What truly matters here is that Marvel Rivals simply “gets it right” in one go and further builds upon that strong foundation to keep the game alive. If it manages to pull that off, the game will indeed survive and even surpass its biggest competitor.
What Does Marvel Rivals Need to Survive the AAA Hero-Shooter Genre, Unlike Other Titles?
Despite having the name “Marvel” attached to it, having arguably the greatest superheroes of pop culture in one place, and being free-to-play with slightly non-aggressive microtransactions, the game still needs to sort some issues out before moving past all scope of failure.
For instance, balancing out the different game modes and character archetypes is a must. This would involve giving players some incentive outside of their love for specific characters to prevent them from choosing the same old DPS class again and again.
Another would be to support the game with a consistent stream of limited-time game modes, rewarding progression for the complete F2P player, and not adding any pay-to-win mechanics in the game.
To further ensure success, a more significant step is to support the game’s Esports scene, which NetEase already looks keen on doing. Not only would doing all this prolong the game’s life, but it would also push other developers within the genre to overcome their saturation points. In short, it’ll be a win-win for all.
With that said, what are your thoughts on Marvel Rivals so far? Are you looking to jump in on its next Beta test? Let us know in the comments below.
