Marvel Rivals Devs Respond to Community Backlash, Reverse Season 1 Rank Reset
NetEase Games and the Marvel Rivals development team have responded to overwhelming fan feedback, opting to reverse the decision to include a mid-season reset for the game’s ranked mode.
On Feb. 11, the Marvel Rivals team shared a new Dev Talk update discussing upcoming content for the second half of Season 1. This includes confirmation that both Human Torch and The Thing are coming to the game on Feb. 21 alongside several other changes to the game.
Initially, the developers mentioned that player ranks would be reset when the mid-season update went live. This would see all players drop four divisions once the first half of the season concludes at 2am CT on Feb. 21, compared to the updated six divisions that will now take place at the start of a new season.
After the announcement, thousands of players flooded NetEase Games with responses, voicing their displeasure with the decision to include a mid-season rank reset on social media, with several streamers and top players also joining the discussion.
Some players like Flats called the idea smart initially but warned the developers to be careful because players can get burnt out if they feel like the competitive grind is pulling them back from the goals too often through resets. Having 10 total division drops for ranked players every season between the start and mid-season update could have already been a stretch.
“For someone like me who is a hard grinder and will play a ton, if you are like that this is probably a good thing because it will keep you on the treadmill and keep you playing,” Flats said. “If you are not, if you have a job… I don’t think this is great for you. It’s going to start discouraging you fast.”
Likewise, Overwatch esports veterans Seagull and eskay called out how the game is already struggling with placing ranked players in good lobbies after the Season 1 reset.
“There does not need to be a rank reset every half season omg I can’t keep up and it’s my job. I feel like games still aren’t recovered from the last reset, every game, even in celestial, is a mix of previous top 500s and grandmasters and it’s a dice roll on which ones you get,” eskay said. “Whoever gets more last season grandmasters loses, which is why stacking with your top500 friends is so op, and why solo queue feels so rng. It works the same way in every rank rn, people who played a lot are in the same rank as people who are much better but haven’t played a lot”
Or in the simple words of Ultima: “STOP SENDING ME BACK RANKS, MAN, I GOT S--- TO DO.”
In response to players pushing back against the ranked reset, talking about playing less ranked because the grind would be endless, and comparing this decision to how Apex Legends used to run its ranked mode, the developers have flipped their decision.
How Will Marvel Rivals Season 1 Part 2 Impact Your Rank and Ranked Rewards?
In a follow-up to Dev Talk 10, the Marvel Rivals developers have confirmed that there will no longer be a ranked reset for the second half of Season 1 on Feb. 21.
“After the release of Dev Talk 10 regarding the seasonal rank adjustment, we received a wealth of feedback from the community,” the Marvel Rivals team said. “A common concern was the pressure associated with having a rank reset every half-season, which has made participating in competitive mode less enjoyable. In light of the community's input, we have decided to make some changes to optimize the rank system.”
When the first half of Season 1 ends at 2am CT on Feb. 21, players in Gold rank or above will receive the Invisible Woman: Blood Shield costume and any player that reached Grandmaster or above will receive a Crest of Honor. All of this remained unchanged.
Related Article: Marvel Rivals Season 1 Battle Pass Guide - All Skins and Rewards
What did change is that, once Season 1 Part 2 begins, there will not be a ranked reset and all players will keep their rank and scores from the first half of the season.
To compensate, players will need to play at least 10 competitive matches to be eligible for the Season 1 Part 2 Ranked Rewards, which will include a new costume for Gold rank players and unique Crests of Honor for each of Grandmaster, Celestial, Eternity, and One Above All ranks.
In response to this news, the Marvel Rivals community has already started thanking the developers for listening and providing direct communication so quickly. Some players like eskay are also floored by the response time after having to wait ages for any details about changes or patches from other games like Overwatch.
Any additional changes made to Marvel Rivals ranked or the upcoming content schedule should be shared ahead of the midseason update on Feb. 21.
