Marvel Rivals is making its entire roster free to play for everyone upon release, eschewing the typical live service model of locking out characters.
If a game is character-based, there is a very good chance you’ll either need to grind or pay to play any new ones. Whether it’s Riot’s Valorant and League of Legends, Genshin Impact, or Apex Legends, new faces tend to be locked behind either paywalls or in-game challenges.
It looks like NetEase is deciding to tear down this restriction according to their Marvel Rivals release date reveal at Gamescom 2024. Not only did we get the announcement of Captain Marvel and the Winter Soldier, but we also learned the game will see all current and future characters release for free.
Marvel Rivals officially launches on December 6, 2024 with All Heroes Free to Play!The Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda is in danger! Captain America leaps into action against his age-old rival: The Winter Soldier. Assemble and answer the call, players!Ignite the battle!… pic.twitter.com/NXe7iE7u2F
— Marvel Rivals (@MarvelRivals) August 20, 2024
“All heroes unlocked and free to play at launch and beyond!” Marvel Rivals devs announced at Gamescom.
“Yeah, Marvel Rivals might be the game of all time. Never expected this from NetEase of all companies,” a viral tweet said in light of the news.
“This is very smart of them to do especially when bringing new players in at any point when their favorite character gets put in the game,” wrote one player. “And that’s the point where they wanna try the game out.”
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Although, several others were still skeptical about the announcement, fearing the game may come out with “the absolute worst” monetization to compensate for any potential lost revenue.
When it comes to the realm of hero shooters, there aren’t many that freely allow players to use all its characters, let alone include the feature on day one.
Just recently in March, Blizzard made the massive decision to make all current and future heroes in Overwatch 2 free for players, but that came 10 seasons after it launched. It looks like NetEase’s release is following in Blizzard’s footsteps, but way earlier into their game’s release.
Perhaps in the future, other hero shooters, MOBAs, and various live service games will too make all their characters free for everyone as the industry pivots to accommodate wider audiences.