NetEase Games and Marvel Games have officially revealed Marvel Rivals, a free-to-play team-based PvP shooter in development for PC.
Marvel Rivals, which is slated to release on Steam and the Epic Games Store, is similar to the likes of Overwatch, being that it's a 6v6 multiplayer experience. But it stands apart with its third-person perspective and destructible environments, a feature that impacts gameplay by "reshaping the terrain to create tactical advantages."
Additionally, Marvel Rivals will feature a storyline interwoven through its battles which has been written by NetEase, where the clash between Doctor Doom and his future counterpart from the year 2099 has forced universes to collide in the Timestream Entanglement, "creating new worlds and crises still unknown."
The shooter will feature a roster of iconic Marvel heroes and villains to choose between, including Iron Man, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Hulk, Loki, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Scarlet Witch, Magneto, Storm, Magik, and more.
The first gameplay trailer showcases some of these heroes in action, as well as how they've been adapted visually from the comics they originate from. Spider-Man has his web shooters, Iron Man has his flight and laser beams, and Doctor Strange has his magic, and it seems each character will have a kit of at least five abilities respectively.
What's interesting is that Marvel Rivals also features something called Team-Up Skills, a mechanic that lets heroes and villains coordinate unique combinations of their powers which unleashes a synergy skill.
In the trailer, we see Rocket Raccoon use a Team-Up Skill by jumping on Groot's back to take down enemies, alongside Hulk and Iron Man, who use their combined techniques to unleash Gamma energy.
“We are overjoyed to bring Marvel Rivals to players around the world. We have always loved Marvel’s universe and its characters, and we are so excited to develop this game,” said Marvel Rivals producer, Stephen Wu in a press release. “This is the game we want to make, and we feel very lucky to be the team who made all of this come true.”
NetEase has confirmed that the game will offer players the chance to explore other Marvel worlds, including Asgard and Tokyo 2099, and as previously mentioned, battles will result in environment destruction, enabled by hero powers that can reshape terrain.
Marvel Rivals doesn't have a release date just yet, but the developer has confirmed that there will be seasonal drops that will introduce new heroes and maps. There'll also be a chance to try out the game, as the first alpha test will go live in May, with more details to come.
"Marvel Rivals is one of our most ambitious game development projects," said Jay Ong, EVP and head of Marvel Games. "Since the conceptualization of the game and throughout our collaboration, our Marvel team has poured our hearts and souls into this project, and we are thrilled to work with the incredible team at NetEase Games to help deliver the ultimate Super Hero Team-Based PVP Shooter."