Marvel Rivals’ Bot Lobby Controversy Explained

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home December 31, 2024 5 Views 6 Min Read
Marvel Rivals' Bot Lobby Controversy Explained

Marvel Rivals continues to make a name for itself, recently surpassing 20 million players. With no signs of slowing down, the superhero team-based shooter has all the makings for a promising future. Unfortunately, a recent revelation has divided the player base, as Marvel Rivals seems to be facing one of its first genuine controversies.

While debates have continued over issues like the lack of role queue, potentially overpowered heroes like Hawkeye and Hela, and hero bans, the latest discovery is attracting quite a bit of attention. A few days ago, Marvel Rivals players suggested bots are added to matches when a player is on a losing streak. Though NetEase Games has yet to address these concerns, the evidence doesn’t appear favorable, depending on one’s opinion of bots.

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Marvel Rivals May Be Walking a Fine Line With Bot Lobbies and Player Retention

Marvel Rivals Mode Practice vs AI

Though Marvel Rivals offers training modes like the Tutorial, Practice Range, and Practice vs. AI, the developer has been less transparent about the bots it reportedly adds to players’ Quickplay matches. A Reddit post by u/ciaranxy shared findings that indicate Marvel Rivals is likely to place players into a bot lobby after two consecutive losses. After analyzing games for a week, they claim that players will have four human teammates and two bot teammates versus six bot opponents, though this may differ if they aren’t playing solo.

The Fan Base’s Response to Bots in Marvel Rivals’ Quickplay Matches

While it’s possible that NetEase Games does this to inflate a player’s sense of skill, therefore preventing them from “rage-quitting” the game entirely, there have been mixed reactions to this news. Some have commented that this isn’t a bad idea for casuals and beginners in Marvel Rivals. After all, mastering a hero’s abilities in a less sweaty or hardcore environment while keeping queue times quick can help these players feel more engaged.

Other reactions have been less optimistic, with users taking to X (formerly Twitter) to post, “I see bots, I uninstall.” Some label bots a placebo effect, which is diminished once players know about them. They argue that non-human players detract from organic growth and competitive integrity. However, a point of agreement among the player base is the knowledge that these bots are limited to Quickplay only, which means they won’t be added to any teams when playing Marvel Rivals Competitive.

What This Could Mean For the Future of Marvel Rivals’ Bot Lobbies

Interestingly, this controversy is reminiscent of the bot players being added to Fortnite OG. Fans of the battle royale have criticized the bots’ often poor performances, which reduce the skill level of the lobby and can make securing kills less satisfying. In Marvel Rivals, more voices could continue to raise similar concerns if the issue isn’t addressed, as some players would rather face defeat against other human opponents than win a match against AI.

If NetEase Games plans on keeping the bots, players are already petitioning for an option to opt out of these lobbies. This would allow those who don’t mind playing against bots to continue as usual while giving others the choice to avoid them, though it could mean slightly longer queue times. For now, if Marvel Rivals players want to know if they’ve played with or against bots, they can check the account level, which will always be Level 1, and all bot profiles will read “restricted access” rather than “limited access.”

Other recognizable bot patterns involve their names being comprised of either one lower-case word or two words with no space and filling for a role that is being neglected. They also tend to head straight for the objective and may use their Ultimate abilities at strange times.

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