Why Marvel Rivals is Overshadowing Overwatch 2

Blizzard's hero shooter has been floundering for a while, but it's completely outclassed by the launch of Marvel Rivals.

Posted By | On 15th, Jan. 2025

Why Marvel Rivals is Overshadowing Overwatch 2

When you look back on the history of hero shooters post-Overwatch, there’s an extensive range of failures and never-weres. However, things have changed since the launch of Marvel Rivals. NetEase Games’ take on the genre starring various iconic superheroes and villains took the world by storm at launch, crossing ten million players in 72 hours. Surely, the enthusiasm would die down in a few weeks, right?

Instead, it rose even further, passing 20 million. Long-time content creators and streamers thrived after jumping to Rivals, and recent Twitch viewership numbers paint a sordid picture for Overwatch 2. StreamsCharts revealed that the latter went from over 125,000 peak viewers in November (with the Overwatch Championship Series finals ) to less than 65,000 in the last 30 days. Keep in mind that this was after the launch of a new season and Tank hero.

Compare this to Marvel Rivals, which peaked at over 253,000 in that period. But the worst part is the seven-day peak, with Rivals at roughly 232,000 peak viewers, while Overwatch 2 languishes at less than 22,000 in the same period. Now, you could argue that Twitch viewership doesn’t mean all that much. Heck, we could also pull up the Steam numbers – with Rivals crossing over 438,500 players in the past 24 hours versus Overwatch 2 barely reaching 25,000 – and one could still point out that most of the PC player base is on Battle.net.

While data providers like Newzoo don’t offer the latest monthly active users for each title, Overwatch 2 is in 19th place for the top 50 most-played games on Xbox in the US. Marvel Rivals, meanwhile, is in seventh place. PlayStation rankings are more challenging to track, but it’s impossible to deny that NetEase has taken a massive piece of Blizzard’s market share.

One may ask how, especially when many other hero shooters have tried and failed. The Marvel license plays a big role in garnering mainstream attention, but that’s only good enough to get players in the door. How is NetEase keeping them and, more importantly, creating a superior alternative to Overwatch 2?

From the outset, it comes down to style and presentation. Playing as legendary heroes is nice and all, but mess up the look – as seen in Marvel’s Avengers from Square Enix – and enthusiasm takes a hit. In that respect, Rivals presents an incredibly sleek aesthetic that fits every character while retaining their identity. The coolness factor is important, especially in hero shooters where selecting mains is a thing, but NetEase went the extra mile in attention to detail.

Marvel Rivals

Take Psylocke, for example – her identity is based on Sai from Peach Momoko’s acclaimed spin-off series, and that carries over, even when using the classic outfit. Characters like The Punisher, Captain America, Iron Man, Rocket Raccoon, Doctor Strange, Magneto, and many more boast mannerisms befitting their comic book avatars.

The camaraderie between the Guardians of the Galaxy, Iron Man’s smarmy bravado – even the interactions between dissonant voices feel natural. Granted, Galacta’s voice lines and storyline presence are limited, but she’s an announcer and not a playable character, so there’s some leeway.

Next up is the power fantasy. There’s this feeling that characters aren’t just designed for optimal balance. Each seems to have some element or another that makes them incredible and leverages their iconic powers.

This plays into something else that sets Marvel Rivals apart from Overwatch 2 – the lack of curtailing player expression. Though each hero falls into one of three classes – Vanguard, Strategist, and Duelist – not every hero fits the usual tank, healer and damage dealer dynamic. Mantis may restore her teammates’ health, but the player’s competency to score critical hits is paramount to ensure consistent uptime on her healing abilities.

Venom is a completely different kind of Vanguard from Peni Parker, focusing more on diving enemies and getting in their faces versus area control and support. Playing as the Winter Soldier, again, is a different experience than the Punisher, even if they both use guns.

Marvel Rivals - Invisible Woman

It’s all the more apparent when looking at the newer heroes. Mister Fantastic is a Duelist, but despite essentially being a melee fighter, he offers more range than Iron Fist or Wolverine. Furthermore, he can reflect Ultimates, slam two heroes together or bounce around and deal AoE damage. Meanwhile, the Invisible Woman can create barriers and push or pull opponents.

She can also generate slowing fields, which deal damage over time, turn invisible to increase her survivability and seal off an area with a giant barrier, effectively trapping foes within. Did we mention she’s supposed to be a Strategist, a role typically associated with healing? Yet none of these elements feels out of place given what her character is capable of and serves to expand on the role all the more.

Furthermore, it reinforces that you don’t always need a team with two tanks, two healers, and two damage dealers to win. Sometimes, you’ll see players running Neo-GOATs with three tanks and three supports; others opt for triple-support, relying on the synergy between Mantis, Luna Snow, and Adam Warlock. This lack of role queue can lead to frustration at lower skill levels, especially in Quick Play when everyone is just winging it. However, coordination wins almost as often as individual plays or Team-Ups.

Then there are all the other things it offers compared to Overwatch 2, like 6v6, environmental destruction, cross-platform play only on consoles (thus providing a level playing field) and hero bans at higher ranks. And who can forget damage dealers who are effective at damaging enemies?

There are some caveats and plenty of ways that Marvel Rivals could trip up later. Are Hela and Hawkeye overpowered, even with the changes in Season 1, which will thus lead to their continued banning in higher ranks? Yes. Is the team-up between Hulk and Iron Man obnoxious, and will likely continue that way? Of course. Do the ping system and mouse acceleration require improvements? Undoubtedly. Could NetEase pack all kinds of nerfs and changes that dilute the power fantasy, much like what happened with Overwatch? Most likely.

marvel rivals

However, there’s currently a fundamental understanding of what makes Marvel Rivals so much more enjoyable compared to Overwatch 2 and even other hero shooters that came before. It’s not just in providing cool characters to play as or engaging gameplay that keeps players coming back for more but trying to do its own thing. Doing so with its own style and panache makes it all the more endearing.

There are doubtless several areas that it could improve in, and we’ll likely see more issues arise as time goes on. For now, Marvel Rivals is proving to be a viable alternative to Overwatch 2 instead of a cheap knock-off or flash in the pan. And much as many will clown on the latter for its fall, competition like this is ultimately beneficial in the long run. The only question now is where Blizzard Entertainment will step up to the plate and attempt to win back fans.

 


Amazing Articles You Might Want To Check Out!

Keep On Reading!

30 New Games of 2025 with Amazing Graphics

30 New Games of 2025 with Amazing Graphics

If we remember 2025 for anything, it's offering some of the most stunning visuals in video games. Check out 30...

Marvel Rivals Will Add Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s Advanced Suit 2.0 on January 30

Marvel Rivals Will Add Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s Advanced Suit 2.0 on January 30

NetEase's hero shooter will add the suit to commemorate the PC release of Insomniac and Sony's open-world supe...

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Trailer Hypes up Imminent Launch

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Trailer Hypes up Imminent Launch

Retro Studios' classic platformer comes to the Nintendo Switch in remastered form on January 16, courtesy of F...

Sniper Elite: Resistance Trailer Showcases New Content, Gameplay Improvements, and More

Sniper Elite: Resistance Trailer Showcases New Content, Gameplay Improvements, and More

The next instalment in Rebellion's World War 2 stealth shooter franchise will launch for PC and consoles later...

Why Fans of Choice and Consequence Mechanics Should be Excited About Avowed

Why Fans of Choice and Consequence Mechanics Should be Excited About Avowed

Obsidian Entertainment's next RPG is making bold promises that should excite fans of the genre.

15 New Exciting Horror Games of 2025 and Beyond

15 New Exciting Horror Games of 2025 and Beyond

Horror fans still have plenty to look forward to.