‘Marvel Rivals’ Reaches an Epic Player Milestone!

Marvel Rivals has quickly become a massive hit, it initially saw an impressive 10 million players within just 72 hours of launch and continued its rapid growth, surpassing 20 million players by mid-December.

When Season 1 started, Marvel Rivals reached 644,269 concurrent players on Steam, making it one of the most-played games of all time on the platform. It also became one of the top Xbox games with the highest single-day active users in 2024, according to Microsoft.

Now following the earnings call the game has according to NetEase attracted more than 40 Million players up to this date

Notable gaming highlights include Marvel Rivals achieving over 40 million registered users, and Where Winds Meet surpassing 15 million players across PC and mobile platforms. The company’s net income reached RMB8.8 billion (US$1.2 billion), with non-GAAP net income at RMB9.7 billion (US$1.3 billion).

A major factor behind the game’s success is its fair monetization model. Unlike many other online games, Marvel Rivals does not include pay-to-win mechanics. All heroes and gameplay elements are free, which has helped attract and retain a strong player base.

While the game received mixed reviews on PC, it has been praised on PlayStation 5, where it earned generally favorable ratings. One of its more debated features is the “vote to surrender” option, which allows teams to end matches early if the majority agrees. Some players appreciate the ability to exit frustrating matches, while others worry it may encourage premature quitting.

Earlier this week, NetEase unexpectedly laid off a team that worked on the game from its Seattle-based studio. Game director Thaddeus Sasser shared the news on LinkedIn, expressing his frustration over the situation. In his post, he specifically mentioned level designer Garry McGee as one of the affected employees. Level designer Jack Burrows also confirmed the layoffs in a separate post.

Apparently, the company recently decided to restructure the development team for Marvel Rivals, leading to layoffs at its Seattle-based studio. According to the company, this move was made for “organizational reasons” and to improve development efficiency. The affected team was part of a larger global design function working on the game.

We recently made the difficult decision to adjust Marvel Rivals’ development team structure for organizational reasons and to optimize development efficiency for the game. This resulted in a reduction of a design team based in Seattle that is part of a larger global design function in support of Marvel Rivals. We appreciate the hard work and dedication of those affected and will be treating them confidentially and respectfully with recognition for their individual contributions.

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