netease / blizzardA statement from NetEase revealed a key reason why the studio doesn’t think Marvel Rivals will never truly beat Overwatch 2 in the hero shooter war.
The rivalry between Marvel Rivals and Overwatch is well documented, with the former finally forcing some competition in the genre. While Marvel Rivals overtook Overwatch in its early days, with the introduction of Perks and loot boxes in Season 15, Overwatch narrowed the gap a bit.
Both games are pushing the genre in ways that are forcing them to one-up each other to keep interest high, sparking a debate on whether or not one game will be able to make the other irrelevant.
But going beyond new content releases and whether or not one game is superior to the other, there’s one key reason as to why Marvel Rivals will never truly take the crown from Overwatch 2. Rather, the two games will end up sharing the crown because of one big factor: NetEase.
NetEase won’t let Overwatch 2 die
NetEase, the publisher of Marvel Rivals, also handles the publishing of Overwatch in China, a huge market for the hero shooter. Overwatch was not available in China for quite some time due to a disagreement with Blizzard, but the game has returned to the region in collaboration with NetEase.
During an earnings call, NetEase made its high expectations of Overwatch clear, stating “the expectations for Overwatch are similar to those for World of Warcraft and Hearthstone.” The company also stated that “both Marvel Rivals and Overwatch are excellent superhero shooters, and the market is large enough to accommodate both games.”
Marvel GamesWhile there has been some conspiratorial speculation that NetEase delayed Overwatch’s comeback to spotlight Marvel Rivals, it’s clear that NetEase sees value in Overwatch as an IP. In an effort to win players back, NetEase even offered nearly 1,000 free cosmetics for returning players.
In other words, the reason why Overwatch 2 will never die is because NetEase, who has its hands in both honeypots, will never want it to die. At this point in time, communities for Marvel Rivals and Overwatch 2 have neatly split and are more or less unique to one another, and both games are clearly able to coexist.
So whether you’re on the side of Marvel Rivals or Overwatch 2, the “war” between the two games are more or less resolved. Both games will continue to coexist and thrive, and NetEase will continue to support both titles going forward.
For Marvel Rivals players, you can enjoy the release of two new characters, The Thing and Human Torch. Meanwhile, Overwatch players can enjoy the new Hero Perks mechanic as well as the return of loot boxes.
