‘Marvel Rivals’ Wants to Evolve Beyond a Hero Shooter

Since 2024, Marvel Rivals has been going strong with a regular cadence of new characters and tie-ins, like adding Daredevil’s black costume and the Marvel Zombies mode. That’s just the beginning for NetEase, which has plans to make sure its hero shooter doesn’t just stick around, but thrive in the years to come.

In a recent FRVR interview, creative director Guangyun Chen said the studio’s aiming to “break boundaries” in 2026 by “moving beyond standard 6v6 PvP.” Already, there have been several in-game modes for players and a hub where they can hang out and watch Wonder Man episodes. Looking ahead, Chen said there’ll be more PvE and talked up the previously announced “Path to Doomsday” event. Starting this month and spread across five updates, each one will have its own themed mode and content, taking inspiration from the four Avengers films and culminating in a December update inspired by Avengers: Doomsday.

With content plans mapped through 2027, Chen said NetEase isn’t worried about hitting a creative wall anytime soon. The studio’s big aim is to take Rivals from a hero shooter into something bigger: a “comprehensive Marvel ‘moving anime’ experience.” Already, the game has had several tie-in comics and reverberated into the main Marvel books—this summer’s “Queen in Black” event focuses on Hela and comes after Rivals’ third, symbiote-heavy season. Marvel fans are used to hearing some kind of plan is in place, but it seems NetEase will get to follow through on it with Marvel Rivals… or at least, we hope so.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.