As we’ve seen multiple times over the last several years alone, there are two ways that game developers can handle beloved IPs. The first way is to just “take the skin of it and throw it over something basic,” not putting in the full effort to make the game stand out, which often leaves gamers feeling that the title in question was just a money grab. The second way is to go full-tilt and make the title as true as possible to the characters and franchises it came from. The results are typically better that way, as Marvel Rivals will happily show you.
Sure, the game might be a “team shooter,” which the Marvel Comics universe is not. However, the game brings together all manner of heroes, villains, anti-heroes and just fun characters like Jeff The Shark together in a way that feels true to their characters, themes, and abilities, while also shaking things up in a fun way via the multiversal element. Tens of millions of players have been a part of the game’s run so far, which should tell you quite a bit.
So, how did the team at NetEase make it all work? While chatting with Unreal Engine, lead technical designer Ruan Weikang revealed that it was all about ensuring that each character looked and played like fans remembered them across Marvel history:
“As a global premium IP with 85 years of history, Marvel commands exceptionally high player expectations regarding the authenticity of its superhero characters. The development team needed to ensure that each hero possesses not only distinctive personality and abilities but also maintains a balance between characters to guarantee competitive fairness and integrity.”
He went on to note:
“For each character, we conduct exhaustive research across all source material, particularly comics, to distill their fundamental essence.”
Now, to be fair, Marvel Rivals does change some things with the lore and characters, including slightly different backstories due to the multiversal origins, and giving certain characters new abilities to fit their “roles” within the title. However, overall, it’s fairly authentic. As we’ve covered previously, the voice actor for Mantis was even told NOT to be like the character from MCU, as that version of Mantis is much different from the game’s version of Mantis.
Fast-forward to now, and gamers are enjoying the newest characters, Mister Fantastic and Susan Storm. The Human Torch and The Thing are coming soon to complete the first season of content. With more characters set to debut after that and the team working hard on each one, gamers can expect consistent quality moving forward.
