Marvel Rivals, like many Marvel-branded games, has captured widespread attention for several reasons. At its core, it draws from Marvel’s immense popularity as a cultural juggernaut, bringing beloved heroes and villains to life in an engaging format. With its competitive gameplay, strategic depth, and dynamic visuals, the game taps into the excitement of being immersed in the Marvel universe, while also offering fans the chance to actively participate in epic battles.

  Before the rise of the new and popular game Marvel Rivals, many people were playing games such as Call of Duty, Overwatch, and even Fortnite. Atlas Turner, an avid video game player says, “I think I’ve been playing them since I was at least like 10 or 11.” and added “I was big into Overwatch and all that. I played Fortnite and League of legends.”

  Marvel Rivals was released December 6, 2024, since then there has been a continuous influx of players, “It’s very different from anything that I’ve played. It’s very colorful and cool. This one is special because each character is their own actual character,” said Tyler Lazzarotto.

  Marvel films allow many people to find comfort in the superheroes that appear on screens, and now they are given the opportunity to play as them. “There’s a lot in the game. And so, like, if there’s a superhero you like in Marvel, and you can play them in the game, I think that’s really cool,” said Tyler Lazzarotto

  Overwatch, the former king of hero video games, has lost its footing with players, especially when it comes to balancing its very own in-game economy. Carter Frank said “Overwatch, I feel like it got very meta heavy. It’s capitalist. The skin marketing was a little over the top. The balancing changes and nerfs were annoying and made the game unplayable.” The fall of Overwatch is also a major factor of the success of Marvel Rivals.

  Reflecting on Marvel Rivals appeal and the familiarity it offers, Lazzarotto shared that “…the iconic characters and all that, the art style is nice to look at again,with the characters, and it’s kind of like a gameplay format I’ve already had experience with.”