Marvel has announced a new multiplayer game pitting fan-favorite heroes and villains together.
Marvel Rivals is a player-versus-player (PVP) multiplayer experience that involves teams of six fighting to claim territory and capture resources, similar to titles like Overwatch and Apex Legends.
Marvel teamed up with Chinese studio NetEase Games, which features developers of multiplayer blockbusters like Call of Duty and Battlefield, on the upcoming title.
The game will be free to play on PC and feature a roster of 18 heroes and villains, including Iron Man, Black Panther, Spider-Man, Loki, Magneto, and Scarlet Witch.
At least 12 of those characters will be playable in a closed alpha test, which begins in May.
There is no official release data for the full game.
The announcement comes amid internal turmoil at Marvel, with reports of owner Disney ‘killing’ projects after films like The Marvels and Ant-Man missing the mark.
Marvel Rivals, developed by Chinese studio NetEase, will launch in a closed beta in May. There is no confirmed release date for the full game
The game features 18 heroes and villains, including Iron Man, Black Panther, Spider-Man, Loki, Magneto, and Scarlet Witch
The official description states: ‘Marvel Rivals features a storyline crafted by the NetEase writing team where the merciless clash between the tyrannical dictator Doctor Doom and his future counterpart from the year 2099 has forced countless universes to collide in the Timestream Entanglement, creating new worlds and crises still unknown.’
‘Now, superheroes and supervillains from across the multiverse must fight together and against one another as disparate groups seek to defeat both Dooms before one achieves domination of these realities.’
NetEase has also partnered with Marvel for mobile titles like Marvel Duel and Marvel Super War.
Haluk Mentes, the head of Marvel Games, said: ‘Marvel Rivals is one of our most ambitious game development projects.’
Each character will have their own special ability, and some will be able to team up for combos
Battleground settings include Asgard and Tokyo 2099, among other undisclosed locations
‘Since the conceptualization of the game and throughout our collaboration, our Marvel team has poured our hearts and souls into this project, and we are thrilled to work with the incredible team at NetEase Games to help deliver the ultimate Super Hero team-based PVP shooter.’
Yuri Lowenthal, the voice of Peter Parker in Marvel and Insomniac’s Spider-Man series, will appear everyone’s favorite web-slinger, though no other cast announcements have been made.
The announcement trailer shows off a variety of heroes and villains showing off their signature moves, like Doctor Strange using his sling ring to open up portals for his teammates and the Hulk doing what he does best: smashing.
Battleground settings include Asgard and Tokyo 2099.
Fans on social media have likened the game to Overwatch, a free-to-play PVP multiplayer title developed by Blizzard Entertainment which averages nearly 7 million players a day.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, user Astro Cyborg said: ‘It’s f’n Overwatch lmfaoo.’
X user Joe Valentine wrote: ‘This actually looks kind of dope. Who care if it’s a ripoff of OW. Everything’s a ripoff of something!’
And KillerBodDad said: ‘This has got to be a mash up of smite and Overwatch!’
However, one feature unique to Marvel Rivals is its Team-Up moves, in which multiple characters use their powers for an extra effective combo.
Some examples include pairing Guardians of the Galaxy squad members Groot and Rocket Raccoon for a mix of gunplay and melee or the Hulk Powering up Iron Man’s suit with gamma radiation.
Stephen Wu, Marvel Rivals producer, said: ‘We are overjoyed to bring Marvel Rivals to players around the world.’
‘We have always loved Marvel’s universe and its characters, and we are so excited to develop this game.’
‘This is the game we want to make, and we feel very lucky to be the team who made all of this come true.’
