Marvel Rivalsmay have lost a bit of steam in the months since release, but it remains a hugely popular hero shooter, and NetEase has big plans to pick up the pace in terms of support for the game. Beginning with Season 3,Marvel Rivalswill be releasing a new hero every single month with seasons only being two months long. Changes will be made to battle pass progression as a result, while the Unstable Molecules currency will be added to the passes to let players earn skin recolors and the new Ultimate animations free-of-charge. WithJean Greyjoining the lineup of playable characters, and Blade following just four weeks later, there is plenty to be excited about - though one proposition from NetEase is a bit more concerning than it is exciting.
In an interview withVideoGamer, NetEase talked about how important player feedback from theMarvel Rivalscommunity is, even going so far as to suggest that said fan base could determine future character additions. Specifically, NetEase suggested that players may soon be able to “vote” on who will be added to the game in future updates. While there have been unofficial polls in the past through social media platforms like X and Discord, this wording makes it seem like these votes would be significantly more impactful. And though it would be a nice gesture to actually let gamers shape the hero roster forMarvel Rivals, putting this much power in the hands of a community is a slippery slope.
Why Marvel Rivals Players Voting on Future Heroes Could Be a Disaster
There are a number of reasons why NetEase letting players shape this aspect of its game could be a bad idea, such as:
With these concerns in mind, there’s good reason to be worried about character additions being determined by theMarvel Rivalsfan base. Since players have often been at odds with one another, from theSupport striketo endless debates about balancing and metas, it’s hard to imagine the community could reach a consensus on what it actually wants from new heroes. NetEase has largely done a good job with making decisions for its game, too, so hopefully it will continue to pick which heroes the game gets and when they will be added. That said, the idea of community voting doesn’t have to be entirely avoided.
Community Votes Could Work in Marvel Rivals, Just Not as the Main Form of Hero Additions
While players voting for each ofMarvel Rivals’ monthly heroes is playing with fire, there are ways such a system could be added without harming the game. Perhaps players could vote for a new hero once a year, similar to theHellfire Gala event’s skin voting. This way, a majority of the characters would still be chosen by NetEase, ensuring there’s variety as opposed to only the most popular character or role getting love. Alternatively, players could vote between three finished heroes, deciding the midseason character addition while NetEase picks the launch hero. Instead of good ideas being abandoned likeMinecraft’s controversial mob vote, players could simply be deciding the order of the next three midseason releases, with the heroes that aren’t picked coming in future seasons. Voting for maps and seasonal themes could also be a good way to involve the community without letting it have too much say, as NetEase giving away too much control could be more problematic forMarvel Rivalsthan exciting.
