Marvel Rivalsseems on the verge of bringing in outside franchises for crossover events, but how could this work?Rivalshas had one of the most successful launches of a live-service game imaginable, and it hasn’t slowed down. Season 1, while twice as big as a normal season, added four new heroes, two new maps, and various quality-of-life changes. Though expectations are now focused on Season 2, there is some evidence thatSeason 1 may have a secret fifth hero.
Going forward, Seasons inRivalswill have two characters a season and one map. This may seem like a downgrade when compared to the stellar Season 1, but compared to other live-service hero shooters, it is a major upgrade. Each season also seems to have one or two free events that give players a chance to acquire cool cosmetics. Overall, everything the game has done so far seems to be to the benefit of the player, while still allowing them to make money.
Marvel Rivals Wants More Crossovers
Exploring The Multiverse
In an earnings call (viaYahoo Finance),developer NetEase spoke about how it wants to include more outside crossovers in an attempt to increase its reach. This is not a terrible idea at all, as it is something thatFortnite, which is the only outside sourceRivalshas already collaborated with, does often. Cooperation like this allows for fans of both products to be introduced to each other, and brings a new sense of enjoyment. Ultimately, the end goal of these is to bring in money and new players for future investments.
The difficult part about collaborations is thatit often comes down to legal agreements and fit. Some properties don’t want to push things too far outside their theme and want to see their product used properly. The best examples of this areOverwatch 2and the various anime collaborations it has done. Many of these were reasonable stretches and fit the core audience of both projects. Granted,Rivalsmay have a much easier time doing this given the large backing and history of Marvel.
Who Could Marvel Rivals Collab With?
Friends New And Old
Marvel Rivalswould have no shortage of franchises to collaborate with, but there are obvious standouts,the main two beingFortniteandMy Hero Academia. Both of these established franchises have already partnered withMarvelbefore, so the relationship is pre-established. Given all the groundwork that’s already been done, coming up with ideas with these two wouldn’t be as hard as with others. Other anime collaborations could be possible too, but these would depend on how well the franchises can align.
Another option NetEase could look at is working with fellow Chinese tech giant Tencent.These two have not always had the most amicable relationship, but could see common ground if the benefit was large enough. Tencent has stakes in numerous gaming companies, which could open the door to collaborations with IPs likeLeague of Legends,Valorant,and more. Now these games share similar natures, but since they are not direct rivals for players, it wouldn’t be impossible to work together.
Other options for collaborations include anything pre-existing with Marvel. This includes anything real that could work for a small “joke-like” crossover, like Marvel’s collaborations with Coca-Cola. However,arguably the biggest potential would be a crossover with DC Comics. Though these two superhero giants usually seem to compete with each other, they have worked together numerous times. A collaboration like this could work for both sides by pulling in non-Marvelfans, and appealing to fans of both that wishsomething likeRivalsexisted for DC.
How Could Marvel Rivals Collabs Work?
Stepping Into A Brave New World
Marvel Rivalscollabs could work in two ways. The first one is on the smaller end but could prove beneficial for something easier to implement.This would include a small batch of skins, likely three to six, that are based on characters from the other franchises. To useFortniteas an example,Rivalscould add skins for Captain America and Deadpool (who isleaked to join theRivalsroster), which are akin to Captain Jones and Fishpool. The other option is to make theFortniteversions of thecharacters unique skins, which could appeal to fans of the battle royale.
Option two would be something large-scale, like adding some kind of custom event along with skins. This has already been seen inRivals' Winter and Lunar New Year events, which have proven to befun ways to engage the audience and give out free rewards. A collaboration withMy Hero Academia, which may be down the line for numerous reasons, could be a great example of this. A game mode with a limited roster but perhaps tweaked abilities that are like those of the Quirk User their costume is inspired by.
Obviously, the larger the collaboration, the more work would be needed, but this is a great way to appeal to players and show off creativity. The more fun players have, the more they will talk about it, which will in turn bring in new players. Nowthe most important thing will be cosmetics, as that will be where the money will come from. However, givenRivals’early track record with amazingly designed cosmetics, many of which come from Marvel’s expansive history, this shouldn’t be a major worry.
Overall, there may be no end of possibilities for who and howMarvel Rivalscould collaborate with. Regardless, this should prove to be another layer of excitement for a game that doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Though players will have to wait for more concrete information on all the details, this is howMarvel Rivalscould look to collaborate with outside sources.
