Marvel Rivals to Add New Heroes Bi-Monthly Every Season

Around a fortnight ago, I came across a piece discussing the dissatisfaction of Overwatch 2 players with the newcomer to the hero-shooter scene, Marvel Rivals. The bone of contention was the rapid rate at which NetEase was introducing heroes in their new game, in contrast to the relatively slow addition of new heroes in Overwatch 2. Initially, it occurred to me that NetEase had the advantage since their IP comprises hundreds of characters, while Blizzard’s characters were novel.

That should not be misconstrued as a defence of Blizzard’s slower pace – in my view, they could certainly speed up their character introduction. However, I would not necessarily expect both games to maintain the same character release pace constantly.

With this in mind, Overwatch 2 players might be even more disgruntled if Marvel Rivals sticks to their current strategy. According to an interview with Game Director Guangyun Chen on Metro, there are plans to introduce a new hero in each proposed “half” of a season. Given that each season lasts 3 months, a new hero can be anticipated every 6 to 7 weeks. Each season will also feature fresh maps, narratives, and cosmetics.

Should NetEase maintain this proposed schedule, 8 new heroes will be added to the game lineup in its first year. For comparison, Overwatch 2 has introduced a just 10 new heroes in a little over two years since its launch.

The character Jeff the Land Shark is mentioned several times in the interview, rightfully so. The team has been pleasantly taken aback by his popularity on social media. If you’re struggling to dodge Jeff’s Ultimate attacks, Chen suggests keeping your in-game formation wide and making a swift exit at the sound of Jeff’s infamous ‘Nom, Nom, Nom’ before his attack. Utilizing your Mobility skills can be helpful in this situation.