Marvel Rivals revealed as 6v6 team shooter from CoD and Battlefield devs

NetEase and Marvel Games have announced Marvel Rivals, a team-based PVP shooter set in the Marvel Universe.

The game is being developed by a new internal team at NetEase games, which NetEase says is “composed of global talent who previously worked on hit franchises such as Call of Duty and Battlefield”.

Marvel Rivals is a free-to-play 6v6 team-based game which is played from a third-person viewpoint.

Players can choose from a selection of Marvel super heroes and super villains from the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men and more.

Confirmed playable characters so far include:

• Black Panther
• Doctor Strange
• Groot
• Hulk
• Iron Man
• Loki
• Luna Snow
• Magik
• Magneto
• Namor
• Peni Parker
• Rocket Raccoon
• Spider-Man

Teammates will be able to create combination abilities, in which specific characters can team up to create new attacks. Examples given include Rocket riding on Groot’s back to create “a dangerous duo”, or Hulk charging Iron Man’s armour with gamma energy for extra damage.

Environments will include Asgard and Tokyo 2099, and NetEase says they will be destructible. “Use superpowers to alter these environments, reshape the terrain, and craft a strategic advantage on the battlefield,” the publisher says.

Marvel Rivals will be free-to-play, and each season will introduce new characters and maps.

“The merciless clash between the tyrannical dictator Doctor Doom and his future counterpart from the year 2099 has forced countless universes to collide in the Timestream Entanglement, creating new worlds and crises still unknown,” reads the game’s plot description.

“Now, Super Heroes and Super Villains from across the multiverse must fight together and against one another as disparate groups seek to defeat both Dooms before one achieves domination of these realities. Familiar faces become newfound foes while former enemies become the greatest of allies in Marvel Rivals.”

“We are overjoyed to bring Marvel Rivals to players around the world,” said the game’s producer Stephen Wu in a statement.

“We have always loved Marvel’s universe and its characters, and we are so excited to develop this game. This is the game we want to make, and we feel very lucky to be the team who made all of this come true.”

Marvel Rivals’ release date has yet to be confirmed, but a closed alpha for the game will begin in May.