Marvel Rivals developers address datamining rumors: no intentional trolling, just a lot of ideas.
Dataminers recently unearthed a treasure trove of potential future characters within Marvel Rivals' code. While some predictions proved accurate (like the Fantastic Four), the sheer volume of names sparked speculation: were some intentionally misleading placeholders?
We posed this question directly to Marvel Rivals producer Weicong Wu and Marvel Games executive producer Danny Koo. While denying any deliberate trolling, they acknowledged the presence of numerous character concepts in the game's code. Wu explained that character design involves extensive prototyping and experimentation, leaving remnants in the codebase. He emphasized that inclusion in future updates depends heavily on player feedback and desired gameplay experiences.
Koo offered a more casual analogy, likening the datamined list to a discarded notebook filled with brainstorming notes, lacking context for those who find it. He stressed their preference for game development over elaborate pranks. Their response: "No. We would rather spend our time developing the actual game."
The conversation also shed light on the character selection process. Updates are planned approximately a year in advance, aiming for a new character release every six weeks. NetEase prioritizes roster balance and variety, often focusing on adding new characters rather than extensively reworking existing ones. This strategy helps address weaknesses in existing characters or counter overly powerful ones.
NetEase proposes potential additions to Marvel Games, considering community interest and aligning releases with Marvel's broader plans (films, comics). This explains the extensive list of datamined characters – a reflection of NetEase's ongoing ideation process.
Marvel Rivals continues to impress, with the Human Torch and The Thing slated for release on February 21st. The discussion with Wu and Koo also touched upon potential Nintendo Switch 2 support, detailed elsewhere.
