Marvel Rivals Dev Says They're Not Trolling Dataminers - 'We'd Rather Spend Our Time Developing the Game'

Marvel Rivals developers address datamining rumors: No intentional trolling, just a lot of ideas.

Dataminers recently unearthed a treasure trove of potential future characters within Marvel Rivals' code. While some predictions, like the Fantastic Four's arrival, proved accurate, the sheer volume of names sparked speculation: were some deliberately planted to mislead?

We posed this question directly to Marvel Rivals producer Weicong Wu and Marvel Games executive producer Danny Koo. While denying any intentional trolling, they acknowledged the presence of leftover code from various design explorations. Wu explained that character development involves extensive concept art, prototyping, and testing, leaving traces in the game's files. The inclusion of a character in future updates depends heavily on player feedback and maintaining balanced gameplay.

Koo likened the situation to finding a discarded notebook filled with brainstorming notes. Many character concepts and play styles were experimented with, resulting in a wealth of information within the codebase. He emphasized their focus on developing the game itself, rather than engaging in elaborate pranks. "No," Koo stated, "We would rather spend our time developing the actual game."

The character selection process, they revealed, involves a year-long planning horizon, aiming for a new character release every six weeks. NetEase prioritizes balancing the roster, identifying needed skillsets and character types to add variety and address weaknesses or overpowered characters. This process involves internal discussions and collaboration with Marvel Games, considering community enthusiasm and aligning with broader Marvel plans, such as upcoming films or comic book arcs.

The abundance of names in the datamined code, therefore, reflects the numerous ideas constantly being explored by the development team. The game's continued success, with the upcoming addition of the Human Torch and The Thing on February 21st, demonstrates their commitment to providing engaging content. Discussions also touched upon the potential for a Nintendo Switch 2 release, detailed in a separate article. Ultimately, while the datamined characters offer intriguing possibilities, players should approach them with a degree of caution.