For almost a decade,Overwatchhad a monopoly on the hero shooter genre. It may not have created the genre, butOverwatchdid popularize it for a new generation of players, with its distinct blend of high-budget presentation, rewarding team-oriented gameplay, and colorful cast of characters keeping it in the public consciousness. There have been plenty of competitors who have come for the throne over the years, but few have managed to put up a real fight. That is, untilMarvel Rivals.
Making its debut last December,Marvel Rivalswas an overnight smash success, capitalizing on its use of IP expertly. Though its player-count has been steadily declining over the last eight months,Marvel Rivalsis still pulling in around 100,000 players a day on Steam alone, which is higher thanOverwatch 2’s all-time peak player-count(75,608) on the same platform, according to SteamDB. The competition between these hero shooters is still fierce however, and whileOverwatchwill never be able to outdoMarvel Rivalsin one area, it could beat it to the punch in another.
Overwatch 2 Might Be Able to Beat Marvel Rivals to The Punch In One Way
Overwatch 2 Can’t Compete With Marvel Rivals' Hero Output
Since its launch last December,Marvel Rivalshas added six new playable heroes, with four arriving in its first season, and another two hitting the hero shooter in its second. From here on out,Marvel Rivalswill be bringing one new hero to the game every month.Marvel RivalsSeason 3, for instance, is releasing in just a few days' time, and it’ll add Jean Grey/Phoenix to the roster off the bat and Blade during the mid-season refresh.
By the end of Season 3,Marvel Rivalswill have 41 playable heroes. That means by August 2025,Marvel Rivalswill have just two fewer heroes thanOverwatch 2, something it’ll have achieved in a fraction of the time. ThoughOverwatch 2is still receiving new heroes consistently, it’s at a much slower rate, with one new hero being added every four months or so.
It seems very unlikely thatOverwatch 2will pivot to releasing heroes at a faster rate, so at least for now, it’s one large area whereMarvel Rivalshas the clear advantage.
Overwatch 2 Could Offer Something Marvel Rivals Is Only Thinking About
In a recentVideoGamer interviewwithMarvel Rivalsdirector Guangyun Chen, the idea of fans voting on new playable heroes was floated. The director said the development team already takes current unofficial fan votes into account when determiningwho should appear next inMarvel Rivals, and that there’s a possibility an official fan vote could arrive in the future.
Blizzard could beat NetEase to the punch here. WhileOverwatch 2’s next hero, Wuyang, has already been confirmed, Blizzard could give fans the option to vote on the hero after them. Fans could be presented with three potential concepts a few seasons in advance, giving the developers plenty of time to create the hero. This could go a long way in bolsteringOverwatch 2’s sense of community, and keep the current player-base invested for at least a few months while they wait to see their chosen hero come to life.
Overwatch 2isn’t going to beatMarvel Rivalswhen it comes to hero output, but it could start to make its hero drops matter just a little bit more.
