Marvel Rivals Dev Responds to Social Media Pressure, Announces Major Season 3 Overhaul

NetEase Games is shaking up the post-launch roadmap for Marvel Rivals, aiming to keep the excitement alive among its player base. The company is planning to shorten its seasons and commit to releasing at least one new hero every month. This significant update to the content release schedule was hinted at in the Marvel Rivals Season 2 Dev Vision Vol. 5 video. The video, which runs for 15 minutes, highlighted that Season 2, set to launch on April 11, will introduce Emma Frost as the new Vanguard, with Ultron joining mid-season. Both characters will bring fresh abilities to the game, but the real shift in how heroes will affect gameplay starts with Season 3.

In Marvel Rivals Season 3, which does not yet have a confirmed release date, NetEase will reduce the season length from three months to two. This change will accelerate major content updates while maintaining their promise of introducing a new hero every half-season. This means that after Emma Frost's debut, players will only wait a month and a half for Ultron, and subsequent hero releases will come even faster.

Marvel Rivals creative director Guangyun Chen shared in the Dev Vision video, "Since the launch of Season 1, we’ve been deeply contemplating how Marvel Rivals can continuously deliver fun and engaging experiences for you all. During this time, several discussions on social media have certainly added some pressure on us to keep the game as exciting as it has been since December. To a certain extent, we agree." Chen emphasized the team's goal to keep the audience's excitement alive, akin to the game's opening months, and stated, "The real adventure with Marvel Rivals is just beginning."

Chen further explained that NetEase aims for Marvel Rivals to fulfill players' fantasies about Marvel Super Heroes by exploring new modes and expanding the roster with diverse characters. After extensive internal discussions and evaluations, NetEase will adjust its systems to accommodate the increased content flow. More details on these changes will be shared before Season 3's launch.

Just hours ago, NetEase pulled back the curtain on Marvel Rivals Season 2, announcing a shift from the vampire takeover theme to a new storyline centered around the Hellfire Gala. This change promises new outfits, maps, and characters, with more information to be released in the coming weeks.

Marvel Rivals became an instant hit upon its launch on December 6, attracting 10 million players within three days. The game is available on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. On Steam alone, it saw 480,990 concurrent players at launch, and Season 1 in January peaked at 644,269 concurrent players, making it the 15th most-played game on Valve's platform. Despite a recent decline in concurrent players, Marvel Rivals remains highly popular and ranks among Steam's top games. The upcoming Season 2 and Season 3 are expected to boost player engagement further.

For more insights into Marvel Rivals, don't miss out on the patch notes for update version 20250327 and learn why Disney decided to scrap an idea for a Marvel Gaming Universe.