Even with characters from one of the biggest and most beloved IPs of all time, Marvel Rivals maker NetEase was still taking a significant risk releasing a live-service hero shooter in 2024, just months after PlayStation launched and then subsequently killed its own similar game, Concord.
Unsurprisingly, that risk was not lost on NetEase, with publishing and marketing lead Yachen Bian telling GamesRadar+ at this year's GDC that the team felt "panic" stepping into the live-service graveyard. But instead of expecting failure, the team set out to ensure it didn't step into the same pitfalls of the dead live-service shooters laying around its feet.
