"Marvel Rivals Dev Faces Social Media Pressure, Announces Major Season 3 Changes"

NetEase Games is making significant changes to the Marvel Rivals post-launch roadmap, aiming to shorten its seasons and introduce at least one new hero every month. This strategic shift is designed to maintain the live service momentum and keep players engaged with fresh content.

The new approach was hinted at during the Marvel Rivals Season 2 Dev Vision Vol. 5 video. The video, which runs for 15 minutes, outlined that Season 2 will kick off on April 11 with the introduction of the new Vanguard, Emma Frost. Mid-season, fans can look forward to Ultron, whose class details will be unveiled closer to his launch. Both characters are set to bring exciting new abilities to the game, but the real transformation in how heroes impact gameplay will start in Season 3.

In Marvel Rivals Season 3, which does not yet have a set release date, NetEase plans to reduce season lengths from three months to two. This change will accelerate the pace of major content updates while maintaining the commitment to release at least one new hero every half-season. This means that after Emma Frost's debut next week, the wait for Ultron will be a month and a half, but subsequent hero releases will come even faster.

Marvel Rivals creative director Guangyun Chen shared in the Dev Vision video, "Since the launch of Season 1, we’ve been deeply contemplating how Marvel Rivals can continuously deliver fun and engaging experiences for you all. Social media discussions have added pressure to keep the game as exciting as it was at launch. To a certain extent, we agree."

Chen emphasized the goal of keeping the audience's excitement alive, stating, "With our goal of keeping the audience’s excitement alive just like our opening months, the real adventure with Marvel Rivals is just beginning." He further explained that NetEase aims to fulfill players' fantasies about Marvel Super Heroes by introducing new modes and a diverse roster of characters. After extensive internal discussions and evaluations, NetEase will adjust its systems to accommodate the increased content flow, with more details to be shared before Season 3's launch.

Just hours ago, NetEase pulled back the curtain on Marvel Rivals Season 2, announcing a shift from the vampire takeover theme to a new storyline centered around the Hellfire Gala. This change will bring new outfits, maps, and characters, with more information to be revealed in the coming weeks.

Since its launch in December, Marvel Rivals has been a massive success, attracting 10 million players within three days. The game, a free-to-play superhero team-based PvP shooter, was released on December 6 across PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. On Steam alone, it saw 480,990 concurrent players at launch, and Season 1 in January peaked at 644,269 concurrent players, making it the 15th most-played game on Valve's platform.

However, concurrent player numbers have been declining, which may have prompted NetEase's roadmap overhaul. Despite this, Marvel Rivals remains highly popular and ranks among Steam's most-played games. The launch of Season 2 is expected to boost player engagement, with Season 3 likely to follow suit.

For more insights into Marvel Rivals, check out the patch notes for update version 20250327 and learn why Disney decided to scrap an idea for a Marvel Gaming Universe.