Marvel Rivals Reverses Non-Cheater Ban

Marvel Rivals Issues Apology for Unfair Bans; Players Advocate for Rank-Inclusive Character Bans

NetEase, the developer of Marvel Rivals, recently issued a public apology for mistakenly banning a significant number of innocent players. The mass ban, intended to target cheaters, inadvertently affected numerous players utilizing compatibility layers on non-Windows systems, including macOS, Linux, and Steam Deck.

The incident, which occurred on January 3rd, saw players utilizing compatibility software like Proton (on SteamOS) flagged as cheaters despite not employing any cheating mechanisms. NetEase swiftly addressed the issue, lifting the bans and offering sincere apologies for the inconvenience. They encouraged players to report genuine cheating activity and utilize in-game or Discord support for wrongful ban appeals.

Separately, a community discussion has emerged regarding the game's character ban mechanic. Currently, this feature—allowing players to remove specific characters from selection—is only available at Diamond rank and above. Many players, especially those in lower ranks, express frustration at the lack of this feature, arguing it limits strategic depth and creates unbalanced gameplay.

Reddit users highlight the disparity, emphasizing that the ban system would benefit all ranks by fostering diverse team compositions and strategic learning. They contend that the current system disadvantages lower-ranked players, creating an uneven playing field. While NetEase hasn't yet responded publicly to these concerns, the community's call for a rank-inclusive character ban system remains a significant point of discussion.