Marvel Rivals Dev Rejects Dataminer Claims: Focus on Game Development

Marvel Rivals dataminers suspect the developers are playfully misleading them with lists of potential future characters hidden within the game's code. However, NetEase and Marvel maintain they're focused on game development, not elaborate pranks.

Last month, dataminers uncovered potential future heroes in Marvel Rivals' code, some of which were quickly confirmed with the Fantastic Four announcement. However, the growing list sparked speculation that some names were intentionally misleading. The community remains divided on the authenticity of these datamined characters.

We directly questioned Marvel Rivals producer Weicong Wu and Marvel Games executive producer Danny Koo about this alleged "troll." While denying any deliberate deception, they advised caution when interpreting code findings. Wu explained that the development process involves numerous concepts, prototypes, and trials, leaving remnants in the code. Whether these characters appear depends on player feedback and desired gameplay experiences. Koo likened the situation to finding an abandoned notebook filled with brainstorming notes. He emphasized their preference for actual game development over elaborate hoaxes.

We also discussed the character selection process. Updates are planned roughly a year in advance, aiming for a new character every six weeks. NetEase prioritizes balancing the roster by considering character types and skill sets, creating a pool of potential additions. Their strategy focuses on adding new characters rather than extensively tweaking existing ones, to maintain freshness and address balance issues. After internal selection, NetEase presents these suggestions to Marvel Games, considering community interest and future Marvel plans (films, comics) to finalize the choice. This explains the numerous hero names in the code – a reflection of NetEase's ongoing brainstorming.

Marvel Rivals launched successfully, and each new character enhances the game. The Human Torch and The Thing are the latest additions, arriving February 21st. We also discussed a potential Nintendo Switch 2 release (details available in a separate article).