In its first year, the game released five seasons of new content. This bolstered the playable roster from its launch number of 33 to 45, with two more formally announced and set to join the fight soon, along with hundreds of new costumes for the cast and new stages to duke it out in. But one of the big standouts from the year was a PvE mode based on the Disney+ animated series Marvel Zombies, that saw a small group of heroes blast through hordes of zombies while moving to defeat their undead leader, the Queen of the Dead. Timed not only with the animated series’ premiere but also in time for Halloween, the new game mode expanded what Marvel Rivals could and can be.
“We saw Marvel Zombies and knew it was a good story that we could collaborate with on the Marvel IP side,” explains NetEase Games publishing and marketing lead Yachen Bian. “A lot of players really loved the PvE mode. I also think that we chose very good timing. We made it for Halloween but it also was good timing for the lifecycle of the game. We provided players with something new that refreshed their experience for the first year.”
Koo notes that the team had considered creating a PvE mode for a while but couldn’t settle on the right narrative context until they watched a special advance screening of the animated series. Realizing the show’s concept fit their game’s ethos perfectly, the Marvel Rivals team was able to assemble a prototype of the Marvel Zombies game mode in about six months, experimenting with the new player skills for the PvE mode. This was followed by an 18v18 competitive mode which encourages players to try new playable characters and makes the gameplay even more fast-paced and frenetic as the larger teams do battle.
“In the next year, we want to provide more game modes,” Bian teases. “It’s why we have prototypes in the game, like PvE and 18v18. We want to give the players more choices of different game modes beyond the basic gameplay because your fundamental experience might be very different. When you’re fighting against zombies, it’s quite different from fighting against other people.”
Marvel Rivals is NetEase’s title with the largest global audience to date, with over 40 million players in territories from the Americas and Europe to Asia and Oceania. After initially promoting its launch at major gaming events throughout 2024, the development team has been positively overwhelmed by the rapidly growing community. This has only fueled the team to match the fans’ passion with their own dedication towards continuing to support the game and take it to new heights.
“That process has brought the team together even closer,” observes Koo. “It’s a lot of hard work and it always feels different and exciting. This game is releasing new content every week. Even my own team comes in every day asking what’s new today. Everyone’s excited. They want to continue to make this happen. Everyone wants to make this the biggest game possible.”
