Marvel Rivals Bot Conspiracy Unveiled

While Marvel Rivals continues to dominate the charts on Steam and Twitch, a persistent issue has left fans questioning their experience with NetEase Games' new hero shooter: the presence of bots.

Launched in December, Marvel Rivals has received widespread acclaim and fan appreciation for its unique style and innovative use of iconic characters such as Spider-Man, Wolverine, and the recently added Fantastic Four. The game's success is evident as hundreds of thousands of players continue to engage with it daily on Steam, according to SteamDB. Despite managing to sidestep many common pitfalls of the genre, the community has been vocal about their concerns regarding the integration of AI enemies in several game modes.

"I know people may feel differently but playing against bots in (Quickplay) just doesn’t feel good at all to me," expressed one Reddit user. "AI should be in AI modes and that’s it."

Marvel Rivals Tier List: Best Heroes

Like other multiplayer games released over the last 15 years, Marvel Rivals includes practice modes where players face off against bots, allowing them to adjust the difficulty to suit their skill level. These modes serve as essential tools for skill improvement and provide a less intense alternative to matches against human opponents. However, the game has faced criticism for allegedly including bots in standard Quickplay matches.

Over the weeks, social media has been buzzing with posts from players suspecting they are matched against low-level bots, with some even noticing their teammates being replaced by bots at times. The prevailing theory suggests that Marvel Rivals may initiate these easier matches after players experience multiple losses, aiming to prevent frustration and reduce queue times.

Unfortunately, NetEase has not been forthcoming about the presence of bots in Quickplay matches, and the company has yet to comment on the issue (IGN has reached out for clarification). As players try to decipher the signs of bot matches, they have pointed out repetitive in-game behaviors, suspiciously similar teammate names, and team names featuring single capitalized words or split names. The most telling indicator is when every enemy's career profile is marked as "restricted."

"The fact that you can even get bot games after wins and that the game doesn't tell you that you're against bots is what gets me about this," another Reddit user stated. "You don't want to learn new heroes in comp because people will understandably rage at you for doing that, but if you try to learn a hero in (Quickplay) you now have to second guess if you actually are getting any better on that hero or if the game is just making you think you are because it's handing you free wins in the form of bots."

The use of bots in multiplayer games is not a new controversy, with players debating their impact on games like Fortnite for years. In the case of Marvel Rivals, some advocate for an option to toggle bot matches, while others demand their complete removal. A subset of players appreciates the occasional bot lobby, using it as an opportunity to achieve specific hero milestones. Reddit user ciaranxy raised concerns about their matches shortly after launch and encouraged the community to do the same.

"So, you can choose to believe this is an issue or not – that is your CHOICE," ciaranxy stated. "But – for everyone else – when you press Quickplay, NetEase does not give you a choice."

If you've played Marvel Rivals for more than a few hours since its launch, chances are you've encountered one of these questionable lobbies. I can personally confirm running into at least one suspicious Quickplay match displaying several of the flagged elements, including unnatural player movement, similarly structured names, and restricted profiles for both teammates and the entire enemy team. We've contacted NetEase for further clarification on these matches and the alleged use of bots in Marvel Rivals.

As the gaming community continues to investigate the bot situation, you can read more about how some Marvel Rivals players are using the Invisible Woman to counter bots effectively. Regardless of how NetEase addresses this issue, the company is looking forward to a promising 2025, starting with the introduction of the Fantastic Four in Season 1: Eternal Night Falls. Creative director Guangyun Chen has committed to introducing at least one new hero every half-season, and later this month, fans can look forward to acquiring Peter Parker’s Advanced Suit 2.0 from Marvel’s Spider-Man.