Marvel Rivals’ Playable Heroes Are Avoiding One Major Annoyance Of Free-To-Play Games

Summary

Marvel Rivals offers all heroes for free from launch, avoiding the need for in-game currency to unlock characters.
The game will likely have to generate revenue through cosmetic purchases, tapping into Marvel's multiverse for character skins.
By offering a fully unlocked roster at launch, Marvel Rivals distinguishes itself from other free-to-play games with a free rotation.

With the latest trailer, Marvel Rivals has revealed many new, exciting features to get players ready for the full release at the end of the year. Two more heroes have been added to an already impressive yet continually growing cast and have been shown off in their full glory. These heroes are Captain America and The Winter Soldier, and are likely two of many more since Doctor Doom was hinted at in the 'No One Rivals Doom' cinematic trailer that was released at Comic-Con 2024.

The 'No One Rivals Doom' trailer showed off two versions of Doctor Doom battling each other, one of which is from the future.

Thanks to the nature of the Marvel universe, there is a rich pool of characters that Rivals can call upon, especially since the current roster includes some lesser-known heroes, like Luna Snow and Jeff the Land Shark, but still omits famous Avengers, like Black Widow and Hawkeye. The game will be free-to-play, too, and with it being on Xbox, PlayStation, PC, and Mac, it is as accessible as possible. It also avoids one major annoyance of many free-to-play games to show that the title's priority is fun.

Marvel Rivals Avoids A Major Annoyance Of Free-To-Play Games

The Entire Roster Is Open To Players From The Start

Many free-to-play games similar to Marvel Rivals, such as other hero shooters or MOBAs, tend to have systems that involve unlocking heroes. There is usually an in-game currency of some kind to purchase heroes to play and a free rotation of a handful of characters that players can try out when deciding who they want to main. The issue with this is that players tend to stick with a smaller roster of characters and don't get any real time to play everyone they want.

In the Closed Beta Test, Marvel Rivals allowed players to switch heroes in the spawn room during a game. There was also no role queue and team compositions could be anything players wanted, even in ranked.

League of Legends is perhaps the most popular instance of this, and the free rotation is known as a feature of many MOBAs, also seen in Heroes of the Storm and Smite. It has leaked its way into other genres, like with Overwatch 2, Paladins, and Multiverses, but this is something that Marvel Rivals is avoiding. In fact, all the characters will be free to use at launch and beyond, which is amazing, considering that the roster of heroes and villains is massive for a game that is yet to be released.

This came as a bit of a surprise, considering that the Closed Network Test earlier in the year had an in-game currency that could be used to unlock skins and cosmetics, as well as a battle . Both of these things are common in free-to-play titles and usually point their way toward a free rotation system of some kind. Fortunately, this will not be the case, and the in-game currency seems like it will only be needed for optional cosmetics alone.

Winter Soldier and Captain America with Gamescom overlay.

Marvel Rivals Sets 2024 Release Date Alongside New Character With Major MCU Connection

Marvel Rivals, the highly-anticipated 6v6 team shooter under development by NetEase, just revealed the release date for the game, and it's in 2024.

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All Heroes Will Be Free From Launch And Beyond

But Where Will The Money For The Game Come From?

Marvel Rivals release date trailer screenshot of the roster and announcement that all heroes are unlocked..

If the game is free-to-play and the entire roster is open to players to use, it does pose the question as to where the money for the game will come from. The obvious answer is cosmetics that can be paid for. With the nature of Marvel Comics, there are a plethora of different versions of characters that can become skins. Spider-Man alone has an entire Spider-Verse of alternate versions to call upon, and these versions have risen in popularity thanks to the animated films. Spider-Noir, in particular, would be a great addition.

The in-game currency was incredibly easy to get in the Closed Network Test, and if the game is to make money on cosmetics, they will likely be harder to unlock in the full release. This is a worthwhile trade for a massive roster that is fully unlocked from the get-go, and the base designs of the Marvel heroes and villains are nice enough that skins don't feel necessary (they're never necessary anyway, but poor base designs can make them feel needed). It is better than having expensive skins and a free rotation.

With an industry filled with live service games that keep everything locked behind pay walls, despite being free-to-play, it is good to see Marvel Rivals go against the grain. If this promise continues, and all heroes continue to be free beyond launch, like the trailer said, then the growing roster of characters will be more exciting than ever. With such a large roster, balancing could be an issue in the future, but that is a bridge best crossed when arrived at.