Marvel Rivals Bot Conspiracy Unveiled

While Marvel Rivals continues to dominate the Steam and Twitch charts, a lingering issue has left fans questioning their experience with NetEase Games' latest hero shooter: the presence of bots. Launched in December, this superhero-themed competitive multiplayer game has garnered critical acclaim and widespread fan appreciation for its engaging style and innovative use of iconic characters such as Spider-Man, Wolverine, and the recently added Fantastic Four. The game's success is evident with hundreds of thousands of daily players on Steam alone, as reported by SteamDB. However, despite avoiding many common pitfalls faced by similar titles, Marvel Rivals has been the subject of ongoing fan discussions about the integration of AI enemies in various game modes.

"I know people may feel differently but playing against bots in (Quickplay) just doesn’t feel good at all to me," expressed one Reddit user. "AI should be in AI modes and that’s it."

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Similar to other multiplayer games released over the past 15 years, Marvel Rivals includes practice modes where players face off against AI-driven "bots." These modes allow players to adjust the difficulty level, making them essential for skill improvement or as a break from the more competitive human matches. The issue arises when players suspect the presence of bots in standard Quickplay matches.

For weeks, social media has been buzzing with reports from users who believe they are being matched against low-level bot players, with some even suggesting that their teammates are occasionally replaced by bots. The prevailing theory suggests that Marvel Rivals might introduce these easier matches after a series of losses, aiming to prevent player frustration and reduce queue times. However, there's a notable lack of transparency from NetEase about the use of bots in Quickplay, and the company has remained silent on the issue despite inquiries from IGN.

Players have been sharing potential indicators of bot presence, such as repetitive in-game behavior, uniform teammate names, and entire teams with "restricted" career profiles. One Reddit user highlighted the frustration: "The fact that you can even get bot games after wins and that the game doesn't tell you that you're against bots is what gets me about this. You don't want to learn new heroes in comp because people will understandably rage at you for doing that, but if you try to learn a hero in (Quickplay) you now have to second guess if you actually are getting any better on that hero or if the game is just making you think you are because it's handing you free wins in the form of bots."

The debate over bots in multiplayer games isn't new, with similar discussions having taken place in games like Fortnite. In response to the situation in Marvel Rivals, some players are calling for an option to toggle bot matches on or off, while others advocate for their complete removal. A segment of the player base, however, finds value in bot lobbies as a way to achieve specific hero achievements. Reddit user ciaranxy has encouraged the community to scrutinize their matches, stating, "So, you can choose to believe this is an issue or not – that is your CHOICE. But – for everyone else – when you press Quickplay, NetEase does not give you a choice."

If you've played Marvel Rivals for more than a few hours since its launch, chances are you've encountered one of these questionable lobbies. I can personally confirm running into at least one suspicious Quickplay match that displayed several red flags mentioned by players, including unnatural player movements, similarly structured names, and entire teams with restricted profiles. We have reached out to NetEase for clarification on the matter and the alleged use of bots in Marvel Rivals.

Amidst the ongoing investigation into bots in gaming, you can explore how some Marvel Rivals players are using the Invisible Woman to literally stop bots in their tracks. Looking ahead, NetEase has ambitious plans for 2025, beginning with the Fantastic Four in Season 1: Eternal Night Falls. Creative director Guangyun Chen has promised to deliver at least one new hero every half-season, and later this month, fans can look forward to acquiring a new skin in the form of Peter Parker’s Advanced Suit 2.0 from Marvel’s Spider-Man.