NetEase Games’ Marvel Rivals is one of the most popular multiplayer games in the world right now, and it’s without a doubt because of its exciting gameplay and unique visuals. The animation style is different and brings out a completely different side of the Marvel Universe. NetEase is aware that it has something special on its hands, so the studio makes sure it focuses on these basic elements to preserve this unique animation.
Marvel Rivals is quite popular right now, but statistics show that the game consistently loses players. NetEase must add many new features because the game could lose up to 80% of its player base by the end of 2025.
Marvel Rivals‘ art director explained how NetEase preserves the game’s unique animation style
One of the primary things that helps Marvel Rivals stand out is its unique art style, which reminds players of the comic book world. While developing the game, designers ensured that it maintained an original 2D stylistic expression. However, it wasn’t just the design that made the visuals special.
The art director of Marvel Rivals, Dino Ma, explained in an interview with CreativeBloq that he made sure that the unique design aligned with the genre and gameplay dynamics. He said,
I believe that Marvel Rivals stands out with its distinct gameplay mechanics – In developing the visual style, I not only focused on the overall aesthetic, but also considered how it aligns with the genre and gameplay dynamics.
The art style in Marvel Rivals is called “Dynamic Comic Style,” but this style wouldn’t have mattered if the game’s mechanics felt weak. The perfect blend of good gameplay mechanics and unique visuals is one of the key reasons behind Marvel Rivals‘ success.
Is NetEase Games focusing too much on visuals?
When Marvel Rivals was initially released, all these things felt fresh and exciting, but now, players need more than just visuals. Adding new skins and maps is great, but what Marvel Rivals really needs right now is some new gameplay features, such as a role queue system to improve the gaming experience.
This type of approach to the game could be devastating, as Marvel Rivals is already showing signs of slowly becoming another forgotten hero shooter. The game is still maintaining a decent active player count, but the statistics on Steamcharts.com have revealed that there is a consistent drop in the game’s active player count. Since January 2025, the game has lost over 65% of its player base, and at this pace, the number could fall below 100,000 in a few months.
Leaks suggest that many new heroes will soon join the game’s roster, but the community is really hoping that NetEase will introduce some gameplay elements to improve the gaming experience, especially the ranked mode.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
