Since its release, Marvel Rivals has attracted over 644,269 concurrent players with a daily average of over 200,000. This gives a clue to how much the game has endeared itself to the hearts of gamers. Interestingly, the game nearly didn’t happen according to a new report.
Unnamed sources told Bloomberg that Marvel Rivals was nearly canceled ahead of its launch. The detail was part of a report on NetEase CEO William Ding. The sources claimed Ding was against paying Disney for the rights to use the Marvel characters.
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Disney once tried to break into game development but was severely burned in the process. However, it now profits through the licensing of its intellectual properties. Instead of licensing Marvel characters, it was claimed Ding had artists create original characters as an alternative.
Although the idea did not move forward, it “cost the company millions of dollars and was emblematic of the abrupt changes ushered in by the CEO”. However, NetEase denied the claim saying they have “enjoyed a close partnership with Marvel since 2017.”
NetEase has made headlines in recent days—and not for pleasant reasons. Last week, the Marvel Rivals team based in Seattle started reporting that they had been laid off. NetEase later acknowledged the layoff saying it was difficult but necessary.
“We want to reassure our fanbase that the core development team for Marvel Rivals, which continues to be led by Lead Producer Weicong Wu and Game Creative Director Guangyun Chen in Guangzhou, China, remains fully committed to delivering an exceptional experience,” said a spokesperson from the Chinese gaming giant.
According to the spokesperson, NetEase will invest “more, not less” into the evolution of Marvel Rivals. It is interesting how hard it is to tell what projects will succeed or flop in the game industry. It is even more so to see how easily the games we enjoy may have never seen the light of day.
