The Marvel Rivals Bot Conspiracy, Explained

Marvel Rivals' Popularity Shadowed by Bot Concerns

Despite topping Steam and Twitch charts, Marvel Rivals, NetEase Games' hero shooter, faces growing player suspicion regarding the prevalence of bots in its matches. The game, lauded for its style and iconic Marvel characters like Spider-Man and Wolverine, boasts hundreds of thousands of daily Steam players (via SteamDB). However, weeks after launch, a significant portion of the player base is expressing concern over AI opponents appearing in standard Quickplay matches.

Reddit users have voiced their frustration, stating that encountering bots in Quickplay diminishes the experience. The consensus is that AI opponents should be confined to dedicated practice modes.

While practice modes clearly indicate AI opponents, the issue lies with the suspected inclusion of bots in regular Quickplay matches. Players report being matched against low-level bots, sometimes even with bot teammates. The suspected trigger for these bot-filled matches appears to be a string of losses, a tactic potentially designed to prevent player frustration and maintain short queue times.

NetEase has yet to officially address these concerns, leaving players to speculate based on observed patterns. Suspected bot indicators include unusual, repetitive in-game behavior, similar player names (often single words in all caps or split names), and enemy profiles labeled "restricted."

The lack of transparency fuels player frustration, particularly regarding the impact on learning new heroes. Players hesitate to practice new characters in competitive modes due to potential teammate backlash, yet Quickplay matches may be artificially inflated with bot wins, hindering genuine skill assessment.

Bot usage in multiplayer games is not unprecedented, but the lack of clarity in Marvel Rivals is causing a stir. Players are demanding options to disable bot matches or outright removal of the feature. Some, however, view bot matches as opportunities to complete hero-specific achievements.

A Reddit user, ciaranxy, initiated a community discussion highlighting the lack of player choice regarding bot matches in Quickplay. The user's experience, along with anecdotal evidence from other players (including the author's encounter with a suspicious match), underscores the widespread nature of this concern. NetEase has been contacted for comment.

Despite this controversy, NetEase's plans for Marvel Rivals in 2025 are ambitious, including the Fantastic Four in Season 1 and a new hero every half-season. A new Peter Parker skin (Advanced Suit 2.0) is also expected later this month. The bot issue, however, remains a significant challenge to the game's long-term success. Further investigation into how some players are utilizing Invisible Woman against suspected bots is also underway.