On Steam and PS5, a free Marvel shooter starts tomorrow. NetEase Games has now released their plan to monetize the game in a statement. There will be battle passes and paid cosmetic items.
What kind of shooter is this? It is Marvel Rivals. A free Marvel shooter that has been in a closed alpha since May. The official release date is December 6, 2024, for Steam, PS5, and Xbox.
Here you can watch the launch trailer for Marvel Rivals:
NetEase Games shows monetization of Marvel Rivals
How will Marvel Rivals be monetized? NetEase Games has announced the following in an official statement:
- There will be no time-limited battle passes, but rather ones that are independent.
- Only cosmetic items can be purchased with in-game currency, not items that give players an advantage in battle.
- There will be two currencies; one can be acquired with real money and for free, while the other can be earned for free.
What is a time-unlimited battle pass? A time-unlimited battle pass allows players to play through it at their own pace. Battle passes from other games often have an expiration date, which leads players to feel pressured to complete the battle pass quickly.
- Luxury battle pass: 490 LATTICES (contains items worth a total of 8,000 UNITS)
What about pay-to-win elements? Regarding cosmetic items and pay-to-win elements, NetEase Games states on their official website:
As you know, Marvel Rivals is free to download, and heroes, cards, and other gameplay elements are completely free. However, cosmetic items will cost money, which only provide visual changes – without stat bonuses or pay-to-win elements.
They further state that the team made great efforts in designing and creating the in-game cosmetics and were inspired by the outfits from the iconic comics. They are thus a tribute to Marvel’s work.
What currencies will there be? Marvel Rivals provides the following currencies:
- LATTICE: A gold currency that represents premium currency and can be obtained through purchases.
- UNITS: A blue currency that can be exchanged at a 1:1 ratio. It can be earned for free in limited quantities via the battle pass, achievements, or events.
The pricing for LATTICE is as follows:
- Standard price: 0.99 USD corresponds to 100 LATTICE
- Top-tier price: 99.99 USD corresponds to 11,680 LATTICE
Many cosmetic items are more expensive when purchased individually than when bought in a bundle:
- Standard bundle: 1,600 UNITS (actual value: 2,200 UNITS, thus 28% discount)
- Epic bundle: 1,800 UNITS (actual value: 2,400 UNITS, thus 25% discount)
- Legendary bundle: 2,400 UNITS (actual value: 3,300 UNITS, 28% discount)
Additionally, there will be the possibility to obtain the typically paid cosmetic items in a free manner. You can earn them in events or by completing achievements.
These are great news for players of the Marvel shooter. However, things previously looked different when the gaming studio forced content creators not to speak negatively about their game if they wanted to play it for free beforehand: Game studio prohibits Twitch streamers from criticizing the new shooter with Marvel heroes
