Marvel Rivals Starts Strong with Solid Numbers and High Expectations

Marvel Rivals was released yesterday, and it wasted no time skyrocketing up the charts with reckless abandon. On Steam, the game managed to secure a whopping peak player count of 444,000 users, marking the game as one of the most successful free-to-play titles on the platform right off the rip.

That performance continued throughout the day, and going into the weekend, player numbers, streaming figures, and the social sentiment around the game continued to grow heading into the weekend.

Marvel Rivalling Blizzard

Marvel Rivals is perhaps the most potent Overwatch competitor to ever surface – considering Deadlock isn’t here yet, anyway.

In this superhero-themed title, players are treated to the classic hero shooter elements found in and arguably popularised by Overwatch, but the entire roster is made up of instantly recognisable Marvel heroes. From Iron Man to The Punisher and from Groot to Storm, there’s a veritable plethora of performers for players to assume control of.

I hate hero shooters, but I’m pleased to say that, being a Marvel fan, Rivals has me hooked.

It has been a rocky year for live-service shooters, what with the loss of Concord and the impending shutdown of XDefiant, so it’s enriching to see a similar title emerge with such gusto into the gaming space.

The reviews could be better, but most of the negative press seems centred around Marvel Rivals not doing enough to distance itself from Overwatch, but that’s kind of the point of the game. It’s an alternative option and a competitor – it’d be tough to replace Overwatch if it wasn’t a lick like the game.

NetEase, the developer behind Marvel Rivals, has already revealed some innovative features that are going to help the game stand out. For instance, just days ago, the team stressed that season-based battle passes won’t be time-bound, so you’ll be able to unlock missed rewards long after the season has ended.