Marvel Rivals Devs Focus on Game Development, Not Trolling Dataminers

Dataminers of Marvel Rivals have been buzzing with excitement and skepticism over lists of potential future characters they've found hidden within the game's code. However, both NetEase and Marvel have clarified that their focus is on developing the game rather than engaging in any form of trolling.

Last month, the datamining community started sharing names of potential future heroes, some of which were quickly confirmed when the Fantastic Four were officially announced for the game. As the list of datamined heroes grew, a rumor emerged suggesting that some names might be fake, planted by developers to mislead dataminers. This has led to ongoing debates within the community about the authenticity of the datamined characters.

In a recent interview, Marvel Rivals producer Weicong Wu and Marvel Games executive producer Danny Koo addressed these rumors. Wu emphasized that tampering with the game's files is not recommended and explained that the development process involves numerous concepts, trials, and prototypes. He noted that any information found in the code could represent ideas that were explored but may or may not be part of future plans, depending on player expectations.

Koo likened the situation to finding a notebook full of scratch work, suggesting that the datamined information lacks context. When directly asked if they were trolling the community, Koo firmly denied it, stating that their priority is to develop the game rather than mislead players.

During the same conversation, Wu and Koo discussed the process of selecting new characters for Marvel Rivals. They plan updates about a year in advance and aim to add new characters every month and a half. The selection process involves balancing the game's roster and adding variety, with NetEase focusing on introducing new characters and experiences rather than extensively tweaking existing ones. After creating a list of potential additions, they collaborate with Marvel Games on initial designs, considering community excitement and upcoming Marvel projects to finalize their choices.

This approach explains the presence of numerous hero names in the game's code, as NetEase continuously explores various ideas. Marvel Rivals has been well-received since its launch, and the addition of new characters like the Human Torch and The Thing, set to join on February 21, continues to enhance the game's appeal. Additionally, Wu and Koo discussed the potential for a Nintendo Switch 2 release, which you can read more about [ttpp].