Marvel Rivals May Have Just Broken a Major Gaming Record


SOURCE: THEVERGE.COM
JAN 11, 2025

By Nic Guastella

Marvel Rivals has accomplished something nearly unheard of in the free-to-play gaming space: player loyalty. According to Steam data, Marvel and NetEase's new superhero shooter has retained approximately 93% of its peak player base through its inaugural Season 0.

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Marvel Rivals Season 0 maintained a healthy average of 445,000 daily players throughout its run. Most games celebrate keeping half their players after a month. Marvel's latest gaming gambit, however, has paid off in spades — or so it seems. Though reviews are positive and players are, so far, mostly satisfied, skeptics have advised caution when analyzing the impressive Marvel Rivals player data.

Marvel Rivals 93% Player Retention Might Be Too Good To Be True

In-The-Know Gamers Are Raising Their Eyebrows At the Impressive Stream Data

Marvel Rivals Season 1 Cropped

Image via Netease Games and Marvel

Notably, Marvel Rivals Season 0 launched during the holiday season. Increased time spent indoors — not to mention Christmas present recency bias — has been floated among Redditors as culprits for potentially inflating numbers.

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There's also discussion among fans about whether Marvel RIvals players are human. AI opponents have become more common for free-to-play multiplayer games; scuttlebutt in the Marvel Rivals community indicates players have encountered AI opponents in Rivals matches, indicating a literally artificial means of distorting the 93% retention rate.

"Even your stats panel is diluted by it with your win/loss, elimination streak, and k/d ratios all being skewed by these bot matches." — Redditor, meeting Marvel Rivals' impressive 95% rate with scrutiny.

"There's no indication that you are playing against bots. If you lose a few matches in a row you get put into a lobby where the other team is all bots for a free win," noted Reddit user Words_Are_Hrad. "Your stats panel is diluted by it, with your win/loss, elimination streak, and [kill/death ratios skewed] by these bot matches." Marvel games are no stranger to similar accusations. Marvel Snap is guilty of being met with similar assumptions, some players even calling for a transparent, official AI vs. Player mode.

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Despite these caveats, Marvel Rivals' strong performance remains noteworthy. The game launched with 33 free-at-launch playable heroes — an unusually large roster for a new title, perhaps directly addressing gamer pain points with similar titles like Overwatch. With Season 1 approaching and the Fantastic Four confirmed as upcoming additions — perfect alignment with hype for the team's MCU debut in Fantastic Four: First Stepssuch steady engagement and consumer-friendliness warrants credit for the Rivals' enthusiastic and consistent player base.

The Marvel Rivals team recently unveiled exciting, vampire-filled plays for Season 1, launching today, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. No official comment was available from developer NetEase at the time of publication regarding specific retention metrics or bot usage policies.

Source: Steam, Reddit