There are a lot of parallels to draw between Blizzard’s Overwatch and Netease’s upcoming hero shooter, Marvel Rivals. You play as a cast of dynamic heroes and villains and battle it out across varied, cartoony locales, all while snatching up the latest skins and ticking off daily challenges. Former Blizzard boss Mike Ybarra has criticized Marvel Rivals in a new post on X, suggesting the game is a “copy” of Overwatch. Specifically, he takes aim at the newly announced Black Widow, who he compares to Talon’s blue-skinned beauty, Widowmaker. Cue that Spider-Man meme.
There’s just one problem. Black Widow is a Marvel character with 60 years of history behind her. Not only has she appeared in countless MCU movies, but she made her comic debut all the way back in 1964. Yes, Marvel Rivals has some obvious similarities with Overwatch, but this probably wasn’t the most sound example to point to.
Natasha Romanoff, or Black Widow, is of course a former Soviet spy who defects to the United States to join S.H.I.E.L.D. While I remember Deadpool asking her if her teeth were real in classic PS2 action game Marvel Ultimate Alliance, she’s perhaps most associated with Scarlet Johansson’s stellar performance in Marvel’s Avengers saga and its various spinoffs, including the 2021 film revolving around her and her sister.
In the same post, Ybarra references Tencent’s newly announced Light of Motiram, which has been criticized for its similarities with Sony’s Horizon franchise. “Looks like Overwatch Marvel Rivals ships tomorrow. Much like Light of Motiram (a clear copy of [Horizon Zero Dawn]) out of China.
“I mean even the character name – Widowmaker in Overwatch vs Black Widow in Marvel Rivals lol. NetEase/TenCent – all the same.” Ybarra’s post is still live at the time of writing. The attached community note reads: “Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, is a popular Marvel hero who made her comic debut in 1964, more than 50 years before Overwatch and Widowmaker were created. The poster is spreading misinformation.”
Now look, we all make a goof from time to time – I’m far from perfect myself. There’s also an outside chance that Ybarra was simply making a joke here. Either way, this one’s sure to stick in my memory for some time to come.
If you’re looking to try out Widowmaker – I mean, Marvel Rivals’ Black Widow – why not check out our list of all the Marvel Rivals characters; my personal favorite is Reinhardt. Alternatively, we have a Marvel Rivals tier list if you’re looking to lock in the best hero for the job.
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