The momentum that NetEase built with the launch of Marvel Rivals and its record-breaking player counts is not something the studio wants to lose. The game touted 33 playable heroes at launch, and only weeks later, it had two more ready for prime time with the launch of Season 1. Now, it's been revealed that the hero release cadence will be impressively high for the free-to-play experience if the break-neck pace schedule holds out.
Marvel Rivals game director Guangyun Chen has laid out a six-week release schedule for upcoming heroes in a recent interview with Metro, with new content like new maps also incoming with fresh seasons for the live service entry:
"Every season we’ll be rolling out fresh seasonal stories, new maps, and new heroes. We’ll actually be breaking down each season into two halves. The length of one season is three months. And for each half of the season, we will introduce a new hero. We just eventually want to continue to enhance the experience, and, you know, keep everyone excited in our community."
Following the landing of Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman, the remaining two Fantastic Four members, Human Torch and The Thing, will probably land with the mid-season update or the season 1 finale for Marvel Rivals in the next few weeks. Following that though, heroes like Professor X, Colossus, Captain Marvel, Emma Frost, Jean Grey, and Deadpool have been part of hero leaks that have come via data mining efforts and insiders.
When it comes to picking what heroes to introduce to the free-to-play experience, NetEase says it will go with what fits the season's theme and what kind of gameplay the hero can offer with its class. "The team believes that it gives the players a solid variety for tactical match-ups or team composition," adds Chen. "Having more Duelists at the moment will definitely enhance the Duelist experience, letting players dive a little bit deeper into that aspect."
He also reiterated in the interview that role queue is not planned for Marvel Rivals, saying that without it, the title will be a "richer gaming experience for everyone".
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