Former Blizzard President Has Harsh Words for Marvel Rivals

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home December 5, 2024 28 Views 7 Min Read
Former Blizzard President Has Harsh Words for Marvel Rivals



Key Takeaways

  • Former Blizzard President accuses Marvel Rivals of copying Overwatch, specifically with Black Widow.
  • The similarities between Black Widow and Widowmaker drew attention, but Black Widow predated Widowmaker by 50 years.
  • Notable differences between Black Widow and Widowmaker include unique abilities like Infra-Sight and Electro-Plasma Explosion.



Former Blizzard President Mike Ybarra recently had some choice words for the upcoming Marvel Rivals ahead of its full launch later this week. NetEase Games’ multiplayer superhero shooter has drawn comparisons to fellow hero-shooter Overwatch. What sets Marvel Rivals apart is, naturally, the fact that its roster is built from a list of established characters from the Marvel comics, be they household names like Wolverine or lesser-known figures like Luna Snow.

One Marvel character that has drawn the most comparisons to those of other hero shooters is Black Window, whose gun-based combat and penchant for long-distance sniper kills have called to mind Widowmaker from Overwatch. Of course, there are a few key differences between the two characters when it comes to particular attacks, but the similarities are apparently striking enough that even a former member of Overwatch publisher Blizzard is taking notice.


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On the eve of Marvel Rivals’ December 6 release date, former Blizzard President Mike Ybarra took to Twitter to claim that NetEase is copying Overwatch 2 through its use of Black Widow as a playable character. He was quick to note that Black Widow’s name is similar to Widowmaker’s, and even went as far as to compare Marvel Rivals to Light of Motiram, an upcoming title that has been accused of trying to replicate Guerrilla Games’ Horizon series.


Former Blizzard President Mike Ybarra Accuses Marvel Rivals of Ripping Off Overwatch

Of course, the character of Black Widow predates Overwatch’s Widowmaker by over 50 years, a fact that Twitter’s Community Notes was quick to point out shortly after Mike Ybarra’s post. Even the MCU version of Black Widow came before Widowmaker, as Iron Man 2 (Natasha Romanoff’s cinematic debut) was released in 2010, a good six years before the original Overwatch launched in 2016.


Assuming that Mike Ybarra was comparing Black Widow’s Marvel Rivals gameplay to Overwatch’s Widowmaker, there are plenty of notable differences between the two characters’ move sets. For example, Widowmaker’s Infra-Sight Ultimate ability allows her and her teammates to temporarily see opponents through walls, while Black Window’s Electro-Plasma Explosion can slow down enemies with a damaging minefield. Still, Ybarra isn’t the first Blizzard alumni to comment on Marvel Rivals’ similarity to Overwatch 2, as lead hero designer Alec Dawson and game director Aaron Keller noted that their development team could learn how to make their own game better by studying “Overwatch clones” like Marvel Rivals.

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