NetEase CEO Almost Canceled MARVEL RIVALS Before It Was Even Released – CBM (Comic Book Movie)
Marvel Rivals has been an incredible success story in a gaming industry that has struggled to deliver consistent results. The free-to-play superhero team-based shooter was released by NetEase in December of last year to widespread acclaim from gamers.While the game’s general concept borrowed heavily from Blizzard’s Overwatch, including a roster featuring characters pulled from all corners of the Marvel Universe helped set it apart and feel like its own unique thing — especially when you experience the hero team-up abilities. But as it turns out, it’s the use of Marvel characters that almost resulted in the game being canceled before it was even released.According to a new report by Bloomberg focused on the recent cost-cutting measures being taken at developer NetEase, it’s claimed that company founder and CEO William Ding was not in favor of paying Disney for the rights to use Marvel characters in the game, mostly due to the licensing costs.Ding reportedly had the team begin work on original character designs for use instead, which would have almost certainly made the game feel more like an Overwatch clone. The plan didn’t work out and ultimately “cost the company millions of dollars and was emblematic of the abrupt changes ushered in by the CEO.”We don’t know how much NetEase paid for the rights to Marvel characters, but it seems like the cost was justified given the game’s success so far. Marvel Rivals surpassed 20 million players just a few weeks after its release and reportedly generated about $135 million across all platforms. The game is reported to have over 40 million players as of February.Unfortunately, even with the game’s success, NetEase has sought cost-saving measures. Last week it was reported that NetEase’s Seattle-based design team was laid off. It was a move that NetEase claims was made to “optimize the development efficiency for the game.””We recently made the difficult decision to adjust Marvel Rivals’ development team structure for organizational reasons and to optimize development efficiency for the game,” a NetEase representative said in a statement. “This resulted in a reduction of a design team based in Seattle that is part of a larger global design function in support of Marvel Rivals. We appreciate the hard work and dedication of those affected and will be treating them confidentially and respectfully with recognition for their individual contributions.”Despite NetEase’s attempts to cut costs, the developer insists that they will continue to invest more into the evolution and growth of Marvel Rivals. Just this week, Marvel Rivals launched its midseason update, introducing Human Torch and The Thing.
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