Jaee

''cant wait to play some Marvel Rivals today'' 2 games later:

Dear Rivals, We have recently identified a disturbing trend within our community: "incentivized throwing," where players are enticed by third-party bounties to deliberately sabotage matches. This behavior not only undermines the integrity of our game but also tarnishes the experience for honest players who are committed to fair competition. In light of this, we want to make our position clear: We maintain a strict zero-tolerance policy against any form of malicious disruption. To combat this issue, we are implementing a specialized investigation protocol focused on identifying and addressing negative gameplay linked to these external bounties. Accounts found to be violating our policies will face serious repercussions, including, but not limited to, permanent bans. We strongly advise players against jeopardizing their valuable accounts and hard-earned progress for the sake of temporary incentives. Moreover, to reinforce the principles of fair competition, we have enhanced our regulations regarding negative gameplay. Accounts found to be engaging in disruptive behaviors, such as malicious idling (AFK) or intentionally throwing matches, will incur significant penalties following reporting and verification. If you encounter players who are maliciously idling or intentionally throwing games, we encourage you to utilize the reporting feature immediately. Your reports are crucial and will be thoroughly investigated by our dedicated team. Maintaining a positive gaming environment is a collective responsibility. Thank you for your continued support!

Marvel Rivals launched with massive momentum in December 2024, but over a year later, its player numbers have dropped sharply. While live-service games naturally lose some of their launch audience, many players feel the bigger issue is balance. A pattern has formed where new heroes arrive overtuned, dominate the meta, then get nerfed after weeks of frustration. Elsa Bloodstone’s controversial launch is just the latest example, following similar cycles with Daredevil and Gambit. The growing imbalance between Duelists and the smaller Vanguard and Strategist rosters has narrowed team compositions and made competitive play feel repetitive. At the same time, NetEase’s promise of one new hero per month may be adding pressure to a balance system that can’t keep up, since characters are finalized months in advance. With competitors like Overwatch regaining momentum and Deadlock building steady support, players feel NetEase needs to slow down, rebalance the roster, and address the long-term health of the game before more of the community walks away.

I notice more people on overwatch than rivals My rank games also have been taking a hit on waiting and less fun