Winning the match is usually the whole point of playing Marvel Rivals, but some players have apparently been doing the opposite, on purpose, and even getting rewarded for it.
After spotting a rise in what it calls “incentivized throwing,” Marvel Rivals developer has issued a warning to the community on X, making it clear that anyone sabotaging games for third-party rewards could face strict penalties, including permanent bans.
The warning comes shortly after players began raising concerns about a website offering cash bounties tied to in-game sabotage. At the center of the controversy was Intlist, a platform that recently went live, claiming it aims to deal with griefing in ranked matches. The site allows users to place bounties tied to specific players, effectively encouraging others to sabotage matches involving those targets.
“We’re happy to see game developers taking a stronger stance on a problem the community has cared deeply about,” the site said in a statement following the warning.
The website was co-founded by a former professional player known as EchoRivals, who has argued that the platform exists because the developers have not done enough to punish disruptive players. According to the site’s messaging, it is attempting to “protect” ranked play by letting the community retaliate against repeat griefers. On its official social media channels, Intlist claims the developers “won’t punish griefers,” suggesting players should take matters into their own hands.
In reality, many players say the system was producing the opposite outcome. Rather than discouraging disruptive behavior, the bounty model may be encouraging players to deliberately lose matches if they think it could earn them a reward. In matches where a bounty target is present, teammates or opponents may intentionally disrupt gameplay, either to claim the reward or to interfere with someone else attempting to do so.
The trend has also revived a long-standing issue seen in competitive games, where players intentionally idle or throw matches for personal gain. In some cases, participants may chase external rewards offered through bounty listings, while others simply exploit the chaos to farm progression-related cosmetics like the Lord icon or in-game currency in Marvel Rivals instead of playing normally.
The developers reaffirmed that it has a “strict zero tolerance policy against any form of malicious disruption” and is introducing a specialized investigation protocol to identify gameplay tied to external bounty systems. Players found violating the rules could face serious consequences, with the studio warning that penalties may include permanent bans. It also cautioned players against risking their accounts “for the sake of temporary incentives.”
The developer added that it has strengthened its enforcement against negative gameplay, including malicious idling and intentionally throwing matches. Accounts engaging in such behavior will face “significant penalties following reporting and verification,” the studio said, while encouraging players to report suspicious activity so its moderation team can investigate.
For now, NetEase’s message is clear: sabotaging matches in Marvel Rivals could cost players their accounts.
