Marvel drops trailer for new MOBA Overwatch-inspired game in surprise announcement

Marvel fans have been the recipients of a large catalog of content for years now and the hits just keep coming. Earlier this month, fans of the current day's most popular comic book franchise were recently spoiled with an announcement for Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, an action-adventure game created by Skydance Media, making this latest revelation of another new video game a huge surprise.

The name of the new multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game is Marvel Rivals. The inspiration for the game seems to be drawn from Blizzard Entertainment's Overwatch. Overwatch was released in May 2016 and quickly established itself as an all-time great.

It has won numerous awards, including Game of the Year for several publications. A title like this is going to generate a ton of excitement; thankfully, developer NetEase Games was ready to satiate the appetites of the public with a teaser trailer.

The timing of Marvel's latest gaming title is perfect

Overwatch is on its second installment and despite a high player count, it has been receiving some of the heaviest criticism it has ever known in its eight-year history. The love for MOBA games is still high if you can perfectly balance the essence of teamplay and individual skill expression with fun, interesting characters. Fortunately, Marvel is flush with unique personnel, perfect for team-based action.

Besides the credibility lent by the name "Marvel" alone, NetEase Games has the added benefit of extended observation. Blizzard made a lot of missteps when they rolled out Overwatch 2; they canceled their PvE game mode after making it the major focal point of the hype surrounding part two of the game. Their highly controversial monetary model is the continuous topic of conversation in a community that has been disappointed by the game's latest stages of evolution.

Reported data shows that Overwatch 2 still has a very strong player base despite these gripes from fans. The consistency speaks to everything the game did right and why Marvel is right to look at the franchise as a model to build after. The bad news is that the game is reportedly a PC-exclusive.

While these decisions can be adjusted virtually at any time, console owners will have to wait for the developers to get there, if that option is even on the table. Marvel Rivals is scheduled for closed alpha testing in May.