Marvel Rivals teases bold plans for its hero-shooter’s future, including moving beyond its traditional 6v6 PvP format as well as aiming to become a “moving anime experience” for the Marvel formula.
Marvel Rivals Sets Sights on Anime-Inspired Experience and a New PvE Direction
Marvel Rivals as an “Anime” Experience?
Marvel Rivals, the premier hero-shooter by Marvel Games and NetEase, is planning to shake things up this year by turning it into a "comprehensive ‘moving anime experience’," according to creative director Guangyun Chen.
"Our goal is to shift from being ‘just a shooter,’" stated Chen in an interview with gaming news site FRVR on April 10.
Fans, however, wereconfused by the statement, as it may have been poorly worded. Some suggest it was meant to imply that players will be able to control their favorite Marvel heroes in jam-packed PvP or PvE modes. Others are even hoping that Rivals is slowly turning into NetEase’s very own Marvel Ultimate Alliance, which fans have been dying to get more sequels on.
With this in mind, the Marvel Rivals developers will not introduce original characters anytime soon, as there is already a plethora of Marvel characters waiting to join the third-person shooter. "[We] aren’t worried about running out of options anytime soon," Chen added.
Since March 2025, NetEase has been adamant about introducing new characters to the game every month. Some fans, however, are still skeptical and concerned about the long-term quality of newly released heroes more than a year after the game’s December 2024 launch. As months go by, the monthly hero additions provide a fresh layer of content that changes its competitive meta, introducing new strategies and synergies for players to deal with.
The recently added White Fox has proven essential to the meta, as she can deal considerable damage to enemies while also healing allies. The next hero, Black Cat, is expected to drop next month for Season 7.5. Future heroes are also being teased by NetEase, such as Cyclops and Professor X, as both names appear prominently in the game’s Codex lore entries. More heroes are also speculated to arrive, including the villain, The Hood, based on recent fan discoveries.
Moving Beyond the PvP Format
Apart from its goal of turning Marvel Rivals into a "moving anime," NetEase has also discussed plans to move beyond its 6v6 PvP format. While Chen and the developers acknowledged PvP as the core of the competitive experience, they are also working on expanding the game’s PvE content by introducing new game modes.
The success of its limited-time game mode, Marvel Zombies, has emboldened the dev team to create more PvE content moving forward. Chen hinted that the upcoming "Path to Doomsday" in-game event will feature new modes themed around the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Infinity Saga, building hype for the imminent release of Avengers: Doomsday this December 2026.
Nothing has been confirmed yet, but the possibility of seeing a PvE mode around the Battle of New York from the first Avengers film would be a welcome surprise. After all, the game already features Lower Manhattan, Midtown, and Central Park as existing maps.
"More details will be coming soon on specific updates," said Chen in the interview.
Marvel Rivals is available to play for free right now on Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Xbox Series X/S. A Nintendo Switch 2 port is currently in development and expected to be released soon.
Sources:
Marvel Rivals Creative Director FRVR Interview
Marvel Rivals Aims to Release One Hero Per Month
