Marvel Rivals Q&A – NetEase Talks About the Heroes’ Hybrid Roles Opposed to Hard Tank/DPS/Support

Following the collaboration announced by Marvel and NetEase five years ago, NetEase unveiled the Overwatch-like competitive 6 versus 6 third-person shooter game Marvel Rivals.

Ahead of the Closed Beta test, which will run from July 23 to August with the following content (Characters: Adam Warlock, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Groot, Hela, Hulk, Iron Man, Loki, Luna Snow, Magik, Magneto, Mantis, Namor, Peni Parker, Punisher, Rocket Raccoon, Star-Lord, Storm, Scarlet Witch, Spider-Man, and Venom; Maps: Yggsgard: Yggdrasill Path, Yggsgard: Royal Palace, Tokyo 2099: Shin-Shibuya, and Tokyo 2099: Spider-Islands; Modes: Convoy, Domination, and Convergence), we interviewed Executive Producer Danny Koo and Game Director Thad Sasser at Summer Game Fest 2024.

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With the roster being as diverse as it is, I was curious - what was your design philosophy for choosing roles for each character?

Danny Koo: First of all, we know Marvel characters are iconic, so there are certain expectations fans expect out of the characters. So, we picked the three most important things about the characters if we were to represent them in the game. Once we identify them, then we'll pair the skills and assign the role after. The entire Marvel Rivals roster kind of consists of about 70 percent fan favorite, greatest pitch, and we'll throw in some curveball on the rest. For some players, this game might be their first time learning about these characters. Since this is a global game, and it's on PC and consoles, everyone gets exposure to this diverse cast of characters.

Did you think about possibly doing an alternate version of the characters, like Iron Man in a different role?

Thad Sasser: I don't think we've really kind of thought about that. I think the way we think about it is, as Danny said, the first and most important thing is really the character, right? Representing the