As Marvel Rivals' roster grows, the team has no limits on future heroes: "We had over 9,000 characters to pick from"

Marvel Rivals' developers apparently have no limits on what comic book characters can be added to the upcoming hero shooter - as long as they come from a Marvel story, of course.

Marvel Rivals has so far announced 25 playable heroes that'll be available (and free for everyone) when it comes out on December 6, from billion-dollar faces like Captain America to more obscure cuts from Marvel's decades-long history like... Jeff the Land Shark? But the sky's the limit when it comes to new, post-launch characters.

In an interview with VG247, executive producer Danny Koo says that "no character is off limits" for the development team. The only mandate is that the studio "have to pick the ones who are fun to look at, different, fun to play" and "bring something good to the overall roster."

"We had over 9,000 characters to pick from, which is a good thing to have, but with a lot of considerations to make about who should be part of the roster and who fit both in terms of who they are, how they fit into this world and the lore around Marvel Rivals," Koo continued.

Developers at NetEase supposedly consider whether a character is distinct enough from the pre-existing roster while also juggling a good mix between deep cuts and heavy hitters. While "it's like 70-75% of your greatest hits," the team also tried to "throw in some curveballs," which is probably how Luna Snow, a character who only has a handful of comic book appearances, nabbed a spot on the line-up.

That means anyone from Marvel's 60-year history is on the table. Howard the Duck? Cosmo? Peter Parker's landlord's daughter from Spider-Man 2? At least 39 Marvel Rivals characters were previously datamined, but anything's possible for the game's future.

Gamesradar’s hands-on preview thought that beyond its A-list roster, Marvel Rivals’ attempt to steal Overwatch’s crown falls dramatically short. 

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