Rumor: Marvel Overwatch Clone in the Works

26.03.2024 - 19:34 / gamerant.com / John Bonelli

An industry insider has hinted at the possibility of a Marvel hero shooter, inspired by popular multiplayer games like Overwatch and Valorant, being in the works at NetEase. Mostly known for its publishing work, NetEase has helped release titles like Naraka: Bladepointand Sky: Children of the Light in the past. This wouldn't be the first Marvel game it's worked on either, as it has developed two smaller titles in 2019's Marvel Super War and 2020's Marvel Duel.

Since its massively popular debut in 2016, Overwatch has become the blueprint for multiplayer hero shooters. Despite losing popularity as the Battle Royale craze took over with behemoths like Call of Duty: Wazone, Fortnite, and Apex Legends, Overwatch 2 has been able to maintain a casual and competitive playerbase through the years, as it's brought in new heroes, maps, modes, and even some fun anime collaborations with the likes of One Punch Man and Cowboy Bebop, keeping things fresh. Now it seems like Blizzard's hero shooter has influenced another publisher to take a crack at the genre, this time with an even more popular cast of heroes.

On Twitter, industry insider Kurakasis has shared a rumor of a AAA Overwatch-inspired hero shooter set in Marvel's universe named Marvel Rivals, in development at NetEase. Part of the rumor claims that it's coming to PC, consoles, and mobile platforms, and is apparently ready to be announced sometime soon. Interestingly, Kurakasis added that Marvel Rivals will be third-person, will have two 6v6 game modes called King of the Hill and Escort, and will draw inspiration from Valorant's art style.

Kurakasis spilled even more intriguing details in subsequent tweets, such as the game having destructible environments, like Battlefield or the more recent hit The Finals, and the name of one of the maps, Odin's Vault. While it's true that the video game industry is experiencing a superhero boom, with popular single player titles like the recently revealed Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, Marvel's Blade, DC's Wonder Woman, and more in the pipeline, superhero properties have yet to successfully break into the incredibly competitive multiplayer shooter realm. If Marvel Rivals does turn out to be real, judging by some of these details, it seems like it would have a solid shot at becoming the first superhero game to push through and carve out an audience for itself next to the likes of Overwatch 2 and Valorant.

Kurakasis expressed that they expect Marvel Rivals to be officially revealed at NetEase's Connect event in May, but they quickly changed tune when Marvel Games' Twitter account announced a reveal happening tomorrow. Describing its announcement as an «epic showdown» and using an image that depicts the silhouettes of several