Marvel Rivals’ Season 1 Heroes Put the Ball Back in Overwatch 2’s Court

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home January 7, 2025 23 Views 8 Min Read
Marvel Rivals’ Season 1 Heroes Put the Ball Back in Overwatch 2’s Court



Overwatch has held a monopoly over the hero shooter genre ever since its initial 2016 launch. Though role-based games like Valve’s Team Fortress 2 came out long before it, Overwatch popularized the hero shooter genre in a way that had never been seen before, and though 2022’s Overwatch 2 is far from perfect, it’s continued its predecessor’s reign over the genre. But Marvel Rivals is here, and it’s taken a huge shot at the champ.

Released back in December, Marvel Rivals is a 6v6 hero shooter that lets players take control of some of the most iconic heroes and villains of all time. But Marvel Rivals has a lot more going for it than just brand recognition. With 33 playable heroes at launch, eight maps, and three main game modes, Marvel Rivals felt like the complete package right out of the gate, and things are only just getting started. Marvel Rivals Season 1 is set to begin on January 10, and its wealth of new content firmly throws the ball back into Overwatch 2‘s court.

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Marvel Rivals Is Leaving Overwatch 2 In The Dust With Its Heroes

Marvel Rivals’ Launch Roster Already Gave Overwatch 2 a Run for its Money

At launch, Marvel Rivals had a total of 33 playable heroes and villains, each coming with a unique primary fire, distinct set of abilities, and special Ultimate move, along with an array of unlockable cosmetics. For comparison, Overwatch 1 shipped with just 12 heroes in 2016.

In the years following its 2016 debut, Overwatch 1 continued to grow its roster, adding heroes like Ana, Orisa, Sombra, and Moira. Overwatch 1‘s final update in April 2020 added the damage hero Echo, bringing the game’s total hero count to 31. When Overwatch 2 released into early access in October 2022, it carried over the 31 heroes from the original and added three new heroes of its own: Kiriko, Sojourn, and Junker Queen.

This means that upon its October 2022 release, Overwatch 2 had 34 heroes. Therefore, launching with 33 heroes – none of which carried over directly from a previous installment – was no small feat for Marvel Rivals.

Marvel Rivals’ Post-Launch Plan Is Putting Overwatch 2 to Shame

But this is just the beginning for Marvel Rivals. Before launch, developer NetEase promised that new heroes would be coming to Marvel Rivals in its post-launch seasons completely free-of-charge. That promise is being fulfilled swiftly, as Marvel Rivals Season 1 is set to launch on January 10, bringing with it an impressive total of four new playable heroes, those being all core members of The Fantastic Four.

It’s currently unclear if all Fantastic Four heroes are being added to Marvel Rivals simultaneously on Season 1’s launch day, but all four will be added to the roster by the end of the season, which will likely last around 2–3 months. Overwatch 2‘s hero release schedule pales in comparison.

In the 2 years and 3 months since its early access launch, Overwatch 2 has added just 10 new heroes. Breaking this down even further, Overwatch 2 added four new heroes in 2022, three in 2023, and three in 2024. This means that in just one season, Marvel Rivals will have added more heroes to its roster than Overwatch 2 usually does in an entire year. And that’s presumably just the start of Marvel Rivals‘ content rollout for the year.

While direct comparisons between Overwatch and Marvel Rivals aren’t always fair or necessary, it’s hard to deny that Marvel Rivals‘ post-launch plans have taken the wind out of Overwatch 2‘s sails, something which is only exacerbated by Overwatch 2‘s most recent hero not being a big hit with fans.

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