NetEase May Be Its Own Worst Enemy Ahead of Marvel Rivals’ Release
NetEase will want to pay attention to certain concerns from its players ahead of Marvel Rivals' release and ensure that it doesn't derail its title.
- Marvel Rivals is slated to be an excellent outing for NetEase Games considering its use of Marvel characters and gameplay.
- While its roster of characters is free-to-play, fans are concerned about the pricing of its cosmetics and other add-ons.
- NetEase must ensure that it does not go overboard on its additional content's pricing in order to keep its player base satisfied.
With Marvel Rivals inching ever closer to its release date, fans of NetEase’s third-person hero shooter are gearing up for some adrenaline-fueled encounters against their favorite heroes and villains in a game that is expected to be an excellent experience with well-realized takes on Marvel characters backed up by solid gameplay mechanics.
However, some players are concerned about the game’s microtransactions, wondering if NetEase’s past tendencies could creep up to mar an otherwise solid experience that has been eagerly anticipated ever since its closed beta received a lot of praise from fans and critics alike.
Could Marvel Rivals’ Biggest Rival Come from Its Own Home Base?
With a large roster of playable characters that cover a wide range of Marvel’s expansive cast that NetEase has managed to bring to life with aplomb, Marvel Rivals is sure to bring a smile to any Marvel fan who takes on its well implemented mechanics. As a direct competitor to Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch 2, Marvel Rivals carries a significant advantage over it considering that all of its heroes will be free to play for its players from the very start.
This gives the game a significant edge against the competition it faces in a crowded genre considering that having no characters locked behind a paywall means that anyone could begin testing out their favorite characters the minute they dive into the game. However, customizing those characters may be easier said than done if the concerns of some fans are taken into account.
Can NetEase Find a Balance Between Its Players and Profits?
A few practical Marvel Rivals fans have raised concerns about the fact that a live-service title must rely on revenue from in-game purchases in order for its developers to consistently release new content for it while ensuring its profitability in the long-term.
For the developer, that may be an area of concern considering its past record according to the Reddit post below, which showcases the concerns of several players.
Among several responses, one player correctly points out that bringing in new content to a game may be expensive, but the developer will have to find a balance in order to stay competitive against titles like Overwatch 2.
Another player argues that there is no scope for expensive content here, as the developer could risk alienating its player base, which is a risk that it cannot afford to take.
Another valid point that came up in the discussion is that in-game purchases make a lot more sense here considering it is played from a third-person perspective.
The developer would want to pay attention to these arguments as it gears up for the release of Marvel Rivals in December this year and attempt to leverage the goodwill it has earned over the last few months to keep its player base coming back for more and hopefully purchase some of the content it has planned to make it stay.
