Game balance is one of the most talked-about aspects of any game, especially PvP games likeMarvel Rivals. It’s a key part of the experience, something the players interact with even when not actually playing. Have you ever argued with someone about why one composition is stronger than another?
But that’s the thing - it’s only “one of the” most important things in a game. Only one question consistently takes the number-one spot: “is it fun?” That sentiment is mirrored by the Marvel Rivals dev team, as revealed by the game’s higher-ups in an interview withPC Gamer.
The team has data on win rates, making sure that no one character is too painful and oppressive so that everybody’s still having fun. But that’s secondary."
This statement comes from Danny Koo, the Executive Producer for Marvel Rivals atNetEase. “We balance for fun, first and foremost.”
The general chaos of each Marvel Rivals match is very much part of the design. This can, on occasion, make things frustrating for players looking for a more competitive-friendly experience -hi, Jeff.
But NetEase is more or less fine with that. They still care about game balance -hi again, Jeff- but if chaos makes things more fun, that’s going to be very enticing for them. “Casual play” remains a priority.
Jeff the Land Shark Creator Tells Marvel Rivals Players to Get Good
While Marvel Rivals playuers complain about the popular hero, his comic book creator says it “sounds like a skill issue.”
This game is built to be more acceptable for casual play. People just want to have fun at the end of the day.
Every character in Marvel Rivals brings their own unique flavor of chaos to each match, and that’s by design. NetEase wants to make each character feel unique, and that can involve a good visual spectacle, impactful powers, or a healthy mix of both.
I mean, the latest content with Human Torch and Storm, the flame and whirlwind combination, becomes a firestorm. That in itself is visually spectacular.
This kind of design philosophy is part of what made Marvel Rivals into the runaway success it’s become, and we’re likely to see NetEase lean further into it as time goes on.
Marvel Rivals Wants Each Character To Be True To Themselves
When designing a character’s kit, NetEase has a lot more on their plate than just competitive balance. There may be concerns like ‘ok, the game is really missing this kind of character, the problems with the meta would be solved if we had one thing or another,’ but since fun tops their priority list, they have other targets in mind.
What we do is, whenever we have a character, we’ll come up with a character background, who they are, and the comic references that appear in what they do, and we’ll hand it over to the design team.
NetEase’s care for a character’s background doesn’t just extend to well-known faces like Iron Man. They’ll often “have a comic historian come in” to verify each new design feels right for the character they’re making.
Marvel Rivals Confirms Upcoming Crossover Content With “Other Media”
In an investor call, NetEase discusses future plans for Marvel Rivals
Iconic face or unknown underdog, nothing is really off limits for Marvel Rivals - if they can make it fun, and make it unique, they’ll attempt to do it.
Nothing is out of the question for now. But we focus on making sure the characters are distinct from each other. For example, Hulk and Red Hulk roughly have the same silhouette, so we may not want to do that one.
That’s not to say they’ll just ignore player demand for one thing or another. NetEase aims to have an option for every different playstyle they can think of: “We have to tailor to every kind of player.”
Their [abilities] have to be as distinct as well because we have all kinds of players. Some players love to be Strategists. Some players like to dive into the action. Some players just like to watch other people play.
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