Marvel Rivals Publisher Wanted to Impose Rating Rules on Streamers. NetEase Swiftly Responded to Players' Negative Reaction
The developers of Marvel Rivals had to apologize for the „misunderstanding” caused by the terms of the agreement with streamers, which originally prohibited criticism of the game. To make things funnier, this was probably completely unnecessary.
The company NetEase has another problem on its hands. The publisher of Marvel Rivals had to apologize to players for the agreement he intended to enforce on influencers wishing to test the game.
The case was reported by, among others, Brandon "Seagull" Larned (via X). As he informed, many content creators (YouTubers, streamers, etc.) have asked for access codes to the upcoming closed alpha tests of the network game with Marvel superheroes. However, it seems that many of these influencers didn't bother to read the contract, which included a rather unusual demand.
Criticism not allowed?
In Section 2.1, NetEase requires those signing the agreement to refrain from "making any public statements or engaging in discussions that are detrimental to the reputation of" Marvel Rivals. This includes "disparaging" and sarcastic remarks about the game and "malicious" comparisons with competing titles through "subjective negative reviews."
The intentions of the publisher are understandable. MR has been compared to Overwatch 2 from the beginning, usually unfavorably. Such remarks intensified after the critical words of one of the artists, who also had personal objections to NetEase.
"Misleading terms" and apologies from the devs
Nevertheless, it probably won't surprise anyone that internet users were far from thrilled with Seagull's reports (via X / Reddit). That's why NetEase apologized for the "inappropriate and misleading terms" in the agreement.
As the Marvel Rivals "content team" wrote on the game's Discord channel and X, MR developers are "absolutely open for both suggestions and criticism" from players. The developers are working on a "revision of miscommunication terms" contained in the contract.
Later, Stephanie NG, manager for community and marketing at NetEase, posted the content of this message on X, and a similar statement had previously been sent to the PCGamesN service.
The funniest thing is that, according to current reports, Marvel Rivals isn't a bad game at all. Of course, people who have had the opportunity to test the alpha version aren't hesitant to draw comparisons with Overwatch, but it's easier to come across commendations for the game rather than grievances (excluding the "remarks" of those who haven't played MR).
The effects of this controversial contact have already been noticed by influencers. Miller Rose reported that two familiar content creators were initially blocked, despite one of them not signing the contract and the other not participating in the "critical" discussion (even though Rose and his interlocutor also had words of praise for MR). However, both "bans" were eventually withdrawn (X).
The alpha testing will continue until May 20th. About 30,000 people participate in them (as assumed by the devs), and the daily "peaks" on Steam hover around 10,000 players (the closed alpha isn't available on consoles).
