Marvel Rivals
Image via NetEase

Marvel Rivals is an Overwatch-style hero shooter hitting closed alpha in May

Use your Ultimate, Spider-Man!

The Avengers (and more) have assembled for a new team-based 6v6 hero shooter called Marvel Rivals. The NetEase-developed title is set to host a closed alpha sometime in May.

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According to the press release, two Dr. Dooms from different universes clashed and created the Timestream Entanglement, leading to Marvel Rivals. This thinly veiled excuse allows the developers to pull anything from across the Marvel multiverse. It’s fairly standard “reason for a cross-over event” stuff, and Galacta, daughter of Galactus, appears to be our host for these events.

Among its features, Marvel Rivals boasts destructible environments, with characters blowing apart pieces of the world with explosions and big super-moves. There are also team-up attacks, allowing for certain characters to join their powers.

We see some expected pairings, like Science Bros Banner and Stark, as well as Groot and Rocket. But there’s also going to be interesting combos, like Namor and Luna Snow. The types of combos possible here could create a lot of unique opportunities in competitive play.

Iron Man and Bruce Banner team up for an attack
image by Destructoid

The Assembled Heroes

The roster appears to be pulling from every direction on Marvel’s endless multiverse. Headlining characters like Iron Man and Loki are here, as well as some lesser known favorites like Luna Snow. It’s a fairly balanced group so far. Here’s who we know so far:

  • Black Panther
  • Spider-Man
  • Magneto
  • Magik
  • Loki
  • Namor
  • Luna Snow
  • Groot
  • Rocket Raccoon
  • Doctor Strange
  • Peni Parker
  • Iron Man
  • Bruce Banner/The Hulk
  • Storm
  • Starlord
  • Mantis
  • The Punisher
  • Scarlet Witch

The closed alpha starts in May

Though there’s no date set yet, a closed alpha will kick off in May for the six-on-six hero shooter. NetEase confirms it will take a seasonal model, introducing new heroes and maps over time post-launch. Marvel Rivals is also set to be free-to-play, and is currently in development for PC.


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Randy Marr
Contractor Writer - Randy is an avid fan of collecting things in video games and immediately forgetting that he owns them. That includes the games themselves, too. It's probably why he's spent so much time over the past two decades writing about World of Warcraft and Nintendo games.