Marvel Rivals Really Doesn’t Need Crossovers

Strap in, y’all, we’re about to witness the Fortnite-ification of Marvel Rivals. During a recent earnings call, a NetEase representative confirmed that the blockbuster live-service hit will receive “crossover events and promotions with other media to expand the user base”.

We don’t know when this will happen, or what IP will be used. But we know that it is definitely in the works.

Some Games Do Need Crossovers

I have mixed feelings about the implementation of skins and crossovers in live-service games. On one hand, the implementation of microtransactions in these games is often predatory and manipulative, reliant on keeping players locked into the game for as long as possible so they can grind for arbitrary currency or just shell out the cash outright.

But on the other hand, I get the appeal of novelty skins. They’re not forced on players, they don’t have any impact on gameplay, and they’re fun. They also have merit in some games like Fortnite and Overwatch 2, which don’t have any IP to lean on but their own.

Fortnite’s business model is basically to create an IP fest, bringing together popular characters (there have been many Marvel characters in Fortnite) and even celebrities. Overwatch 2 has done crossovers with One Punch Man, Diablo 4, even Cowboy Bebop. When a game doesn’t have existing IP, these crossovers can have real utility in a) making money and b) to a lesser extent, drawing in new players, though I doubt that many people are jumping into a new game and buying skins just for the novelty of playing as a character they like.

Marvel Rivals Is Not One Of Those Games

But Marvel Rivals isn’t like those games. Yes, it’s also reliant on microtransactions to make money, but putting aside the fact that this is an obvious attempt to make infinite money and make profit numbers trend up for shareholders to reap the rewards, it has an IP to lean on – in fact, it’s already drawing from the biggest IP in the world.

We can see this in what’s already been implemented in the game. Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman both have alternate skins from the comics, and every other hero on the roster has a comic book-inspired skin as well. In fact, the game is already doing collabs within the Marvel Cinematic Universe – there are Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Captain America: Brave New World bundles alongside many others.

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Forget New Heroes, Marvel Rivals Needs To Implement Cross Progression

For a game with so much going for it, it’s a bit bizarre that it has this oversight.

There’s enough fuel within the Marvel universe alone to keep Rivals going forever, ensuring it could remain self-contained, if not for, again, numbers going up for shareholders. People come to this game for gameplay and to share time with friends, sure, but many also come because it’s a Marvel game, and people love Marvel. It already has so much lore to draw from that it’s basically a crossover fest anyway. Moon Knight, who also has his own damn television show, canonically has beef with Dracula.

I’ll concede that Rivals doesn’t have an infinite pool of A-list heroes to draw from, which is why we’ve seen its roster already using many lesser known faces. But that’s a boon – it introduces players to characters they might not know of, pulling double duty as marketing for the Marvel IP itself.

Marvel Rivals doesn’t need crossovers, and my eyes are rolling back into my head just thinking about the potential of crossovers slowly becoming a big feature of the game. Why pay this much for an iconic IP and then look elsewhere for inspiration?

Third-Person Shooter

Action

Multiplayer

Released

December 6, 2024

ESRB

T For Teen // Violence

Developer(s)

NetEase Games

Publisher(s)

NetEase Games