Marvel Rivals Dev Says They're Not Trolling Dataminers - 'We'd Rather Spend Our Time Developing the Game'

Marvel Rivals dataminers believe developers are playfully misleading them with lists of potential future characters hidden within the game's code. However, NetEase and Marvel claim their priorities lie in game development, not elaborate pranks.

Last month, dataminers uncovered names of potential heroes within Marvel Rivals' code, some of which were quickly confirmed with the Fantastic Four's official announcement. As the list expanded, a theory emerged: some names were intentionally misleading placeholders.

The community remains divided on the authenticity of these datamined characters. We directly questioned Marvel Rivals producer Weicong Wu and Marvel Games executive producer Danny Koo about this alleged "troll." While denying any deliberate deception, they advised caution regarding the code's contents. Wu explained: "We don't recommend altering game files. Each character undergoes a complex design process, involving concepts, trials, and prototypes. Information might remain in the code, reflecting explored directions that may or may not become future additions. Their inclusion depends heavily on player expectations."

Koo added, "A ten-year plan would be ideal, but the team experiments with various play styles and heroes. It's like finding someone's discarded notes—without context." When directly asked about a deliberate troll, Koo stated, "No. We'd rather focus on game development."

Our conversation also covered character selection for Marvel Rivals. Updates are planned roughly a year in advance, maintaining a monthly and a half release schedule for new characters. NetEase prioritizes balancing the game's roster and adding variety. They focus on adding new characters rather than extensively tweaking existing ones, aiming to fill gaps, support weaker characters, or counter overly powerful ones.

NetEase presents potential additions to Marvel Games, initiating design work. They consider community interest and upcoming Marvel projects (films, comics) to inform their final decisions. The numerous heroes in the code reflect NetEase's ongoing brainstorming.

Marvel Rivals launched successfully, and each new character enhances the game. The Human Torch and The Thing are the latest additions, arriving February 21st. We also discussed a potential Nintendo Switch 2 release for Marvel Rivals (details available elsewhere).