NetEase and Marvel Games have announced Marvel Rivals, a 6v6 team-based free-to-play shooter headed to PC that stars iconic heroes and villains from the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men, and many more.
While no release date was given, Netease and Marvel did reveal Marvel Rivals will have a Closed Alpha Test in May. It also shared that this multiversal adventure will feature an initial roster comprised of Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Groot, Hulk, Iron Man, Loki, Luna Snow, Magik, Magneto, Mantis, Namor, Peni Parker, Rocket Raccoon, Scarlet Witch, Spider-Man, Storm, Star-Lord, and The Punisher.
Watch the announcement trailer below.
Marvel Rivals also promises ever-changing battlefields that will be destroyed by the cavalcade of powers on display in each match, no matter if it's in Asgard, 2099's Tokyo, or others. This isn't for show either, as you can destroy and reshape your surroundings to gain a tactical advantage over your foes.
The strategic thinking doesn't end there, as Dynamic Hero Synergy will be available for those who find the right combination of characters. For example, Rocket Raccoon can hop on Groot's back to become more powerful and Hulk can unleash Gamma energy at Iron Man for a massive attack.
Much like other free-to-play games, Marvel Rivals will continue to evolve and gain new content as the seasons roll on, including new playable characters, maps, and much more. Each new season will also tell more of the story of Marvel Rivals, which was written by the NetEase writing team.
In this multiverse, Doctor Doom and his future self from the year 2099 are locked in a vicious battle that has caused countless universes to collide in the Timestream Entanglement. To stop things from getting even worse, heroes and villains from across the multiverse must put their differences aside and band together to save everything we know and love.
This will be NetEase's third Marvel game following Marvel Duel and Marvel Super War. NetEase has also developed other such games as EVE: Echoes, Naraka: Bladepoint, The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War, Dead by Daylight Mobile, and Harry Potter: Magic Awakened.
As for Marvel Games, we have Skydance's Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, Marvel's Wolverine by Insomniac, EA's Iron Man and Black Panther games, and Marvel's Blade by Arkane Lyon to look forward to.
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Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on TikTok.
