Marvel Rivals Dev Says They're Not Trolling Dataminers - 'We'd Rather Spend Our Time Developing the Game'

Marvel Rivals developers address datamining rumors: no intentional trolling, just a lot of ideas. Dataminers have uncovered a treasure trove of potential future characters within Marvel Rivals' code, sparking debate about their authenticity. While some early datamined characters, like the Fantastic Four, proved accurate, the sheer volume of names led to speculation of deliberate misdirection by the developers.

We directly questioned Marvel Rivals producer Weicong Wu and Marvel Games executive producer Danny Koo about this "elaborate troll" theory. While denying any intentional misleading, they acknowledged the presence of numerous character concepts in the game's code. Wu explained that the development process involves extensive concept art, prototyping, and experimentation, leaving traces of explored ideas, some of which may or may not materialize in future updates. He emphasized that character inclusion depends heavily on player feedback and desired gameplay experiences.

Koo offered a similar explanation, likening the situation to finding an old, incomplete notebook filled with brainstorming notes. He stressed that their priority lies in game development, not in creating elaborate deceptions for dataminers. Their response to the direct question of intentional trolling was a simple, "No. We would rather spend our time developing the actual game."

The conversation also shed light on the character selection process. Updates are planned roughly a year in advance, aiming for a new character release every six weeks. NetEase prioritizes balancing the roster and adding variety, creating a pool of potential characters based on gameplay needs. These suggestions are then presented to Marvel Games, factoring in community interest and upcoming Marvel projects (films, comics). This explains the extensive list of characters in the code – a reflection of NetEase's ongoing brainstorming and exploration of possibilities.

Marvel Rivals continues to impress, with the Human Torch and The Thing slated for release on February 21st. The game's success and consistent updates highlight the developers' commitment to delivering a high-quality experience. (Further details regarding a potential Nintendo Switch 2 release can be found in a separate article).