Is Marvel Rivals the final Overwatch Killer?
Published: May 22, 2024
Marvel Rivals has proven to be an exciting new esports prospect, after just a few days of a Closed Alpha testing. With competitive tournaments already confirmed ahead of the official release, could this be the next FPS esport, a potential Overwatch killer?
What is Marvel Rivals?
Running with the slogan of being the first “Super Hero Team-Based PvP Shooter”, Marvel Rivals has been developed by NetEase with direct support from Marvel Games.
It features 6v6 player-versus-player action, with a 3rd party FOV. Working as a team, and depending on the game mode; winning involves taking down the opponents while achieving the objective.
Packing fun colours, unique maps, destructible environments and “Dynamic Hero Synergy” between characters, the gameplay itself is already quite compelling.
What pushes this title over the edge is the thrilling use of the Marvel lore. At launch, a total of 19 playable characters (a staggering amount) lets players play as the likes of Spider-Man, Hulk and more. Playing across maps such as Asgard and Yggdrasil, the community loved the Closed Alpha across the following game modes:
- Quick Match
- Competitive
- Pocket Universe
- Custom
With the publishers declaring a vested interest in esports, everyone is comparing this title to Overwatch.
The Overwatch Killer?
If NetEase Games planned on competing with Overwatch, they couldn’t have timed it any better. After the Overwatch League dissolved, the esports scene has returned to a grassroots approach, with reduced prize pools and viewership. Overall, there’s definitely a void which Overwatch has left behind.
Similarities between Marvel Rivals and Overwatch
Firstly, let’s discuss why the two games are being compared. Back when Overwatch burst onto the scene, everyone fell in love with the title which was a breath of fresh air in the PvP scene, using ideas from Team Fortress 2 for Overwatch tournaments.
Offering 6v6 gameplay, with several roles of heroes, Overwatch carved out its lore and created new stories. Nowadays, Overwatch 2 has moved to a 5v5 context.
This idea of contextualizing all of the characters in one story, each interacting with one another, is a core similarity between Marvel Rivals and Overwatch. In addition, the game modes seem to be similar – whether it’s escorting a movable objective from one side of the map to another or dominating time-based objectives.
Rivals is paving its own way
Despite common themes, Marvel Rivals stands out compared to Overwatch in a few ways:
- Competitive – it is incredibly rare that a title, in Closed Alpha, already has a competitive mode ready to go. This early focus from the outset is very promising for esports.
- Third-person mode – this different perspective on the game adds to the cinematic experience, especially considering the verticality of the fights.
- Flying heroes – in Marvel Rivals, multiple heroes have the ability to fly and swing around, making for thrilling fights.
- Synergy – this concept allows a unique combination of heroes to give one another special abilities, promoting teamwork.
Then, of course, there are the negatives for the current state of Marvel Rivals. At this early stage of the title, some members of the community have commented on a rough feel, clunky mechanics and very large hitboxes. Naturally, as the game progresses, these should be ironed out.
Overall, the similarities between Marvel Rivals and Overwatch will involve competition over the same player base, but we wouldn’t suggest Marvel Rivals is an “Overwatch killer” as of yet. The relationship could be like that between CS and VALORANT.
Dawn of Legends and the future of Marvel Rivals as an esport
This past week, NetEase Games hosted the first-ever competition for Marvel Rivals. Deemed “Dawn of Legends” the competition involved three phases – registrations, open qualifiers and a knockout stage.
With $22,500 up for grabs, a team of content creators deemed Mutants walked away with the majority of the prize pool. The community tuned into the competition and enjoyed the early days of Marvel Rivals esports. Moreover, it’s very likely that NetEase Games will host another competition once the Beta is live.
Let’s summarize our thoughts on Marvel Rivals esports:
- Solid Gameplay – at an early stage, the mechanics, roster and ideas around Marvel Rivals are unique enough to create its own niche while competing with Overwatch.
- Free to Play – access, access, access – being available to everyone to play for free is very important and Marvel is on the right page.
- Designed for Esports – featuring a competitive game mode from day 1, the game designers have a clear goal for a healthy competitive scene.
- Interested Publisher – hosting an esports tournament in a Closed Alpha requires a lot of confidence, and it seems to have paid off.
However, we’ve been here before. Is Marvel Rivals another one of those titles which is excessively focused on esports and will eventually fizzle out before it ever becomes an esports betting option?
The best thing Marvel Rivals can do right now is focus on making the most fluid and solid game possible, and the esports scene will follow. Forget about being an Overwatch killer, Blizzard’s taken care of that already.
