Marvel Game Devs Dismiss Troll Claims, Focus on Development

Marvel Rivals developers address datamining speculation: no intentional trolling, just a lot of ideas.

Dataminers recently unearthed a treasure trove of potential future characters within Marvel Rivals' code. While some predictions proved accurate (like the Fantastic Four's addition), the sheer volume of names sparked debate: were some deliberately misleading?

We directly questioned Marvel Rivals producer Weicong Wu and Marvel Games executive producer Danny Koo about this "elaborate troll" theory. While denying any intentional deception, they acknowledged the presence of unused character data in the code. Wu explained that character design involves extensive concept art, prototypes, and testing, leaving remnants in the game files. The inclusion of a character in future updates depends heavily on player feedback and maintaining balanced gameplay.

Koo likened the situation to finding a discarded notebook filled with brainstorming notes – incomplete and without context. He emphasized their priority: "We would rather spend our time developing the actual game."

The process of adding new characters was also clarified. Updates are planned approximately a year in advance, aiming for a new character release every six weeks. NetEase prioritizes roster balance and variety, focusing on adding new characters rather than extensively tweaking existing ones. They consider factors such as current community interest and upcoming Marvel projects (films, comics) when making their final selections.

The abundance of names in the code reflects NetEase's ongoing ideation process. With the Human Torch and The Thing's arrival on February 21st, Marvel Rivals continues to expand its roster, maintaining its strong launch momentum. Further discussion with Wu and Koo touched upon a potential Nintendo Switch 2 release (details available elsewhere). Therefore, while the datamined character list is intriguing, it's crucial to treat it with caution.