"Marvel Rivals Dev Feels Social Media Pressure, Announces Big Season 3 Changes"

NetEase Games is making a significant shift in its Marvel Rivals post-launch roadmap to enhance its live service momentum. The company is set to shorten its seasons and ensure at least one new hero is introduced every month, aiming to keep players engaged and excited.

This major update to the content release schedule was hinted at during the Marvel Rivals Season 2 Dev Vision Vol. 5 video. The 15-minute video revealed that Season 2, launching on April 11, will introduce Emma Frost as the new Vanguard, followed by Ultron mid-season, whose class details will be shared closer to his release. These new heroes, with their unique abilities, are set to shake up the gameplay, but the real transformation in hero dynamics is expected to start with Season 3.

In Marvel Rivals Season 3, which has yet to have a confirmed release date, NetEase plans to reduce the season length from three months to two. This change will accelerate major content updates without deviating from their commitment to introduce a new hero every half-season. This means the wait time between new heroes will be significantly shortened, starting from the hero following Ultron.

"Since the launch of Season 1, we’ve been deeply contemplating how Marvel Rivals can continuously deliver fun and engaging experiences for you all," said Marvel Rivals creative director Guangyun Chen in the Dev Vision video. "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 goal of maintaining the initial excitement of the game, stating, "With our goal of keeping the audience’s excitement alive just like our opening months, the real adventure with Marvel Rivals is just beginning." He further explained that NetEase aims for Marvel Rivals to fulfill players' fantasies about Marvel Super Heroes by introducing new modes and a diverse roster of characters. After extensive internal discussions and evaluations, NetEase will adjust its systems to handle the increased content flow, with more details to be shared before Season 3 launches.

NetEase recently unveiled details about Marvel Rivals Season 2, which will transition from a vampire takeover theme to a new storyline centered around the Hellfire Gala. This shift promises new outfits, maps, and characters, with more information to be released in the coming weeks.

Marvel Rivals was an instant hit upon its December launch, amassing 10 million players in just three days. The game, a free-to-play superhero team-based PvP shooter, was released on December 6 across PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. On Steam, it saw a peak of 480,990 concurrent players at launch, and Season 1 in January attracted a staggering 644,269 concurrent players, making Marvel Rivals the 15th most-played game ever on Valve's platform.

However, the game has experienced a decline in concurrent players since then, prompting NetEase to make these drastic changes to its roadmap. Despite the dip, Marvel Rivals remains a top-played game on Steam. The introduction of Season 2 and the subsequent Season 3 are expected to reinvigorate player interest.

For more details on Marvel Rivals, check out the patch notes for update version 20250327 and learn why Disney decided to scrap an idea for a Marvel Gaming Universe.