Marvel Ban Reversed Amidst Outcry

NetEase's Marvel Rivals mistakenly bans innocent players

NetEase, the developer of Marvel Rivals, recently issued a public apology for mistakenly banning numerous innocent players while attempting to eliminate cheaters. The unintended consequences disproportionately affected players using compatibility layers on non-Windows systems.

Mac, Linux, and Steam Deck Users Affected

On January 3rd, NetEase's community manager acknowledged the error, stating that players utilizing compatibility software (including Mac, Linux, and Steam Deck users) were incorrectly flagged as cheaters. The bans have since been lifted, and NetEase expressed sincere apologies for the inconvenience. They encouraged players to report genuine cheating and provided instructions for appealing wrongful bans. This incident highlights the challenges of anti-cheat systems, especially when dealing with compatibility layers like Proton, which is known to trigger some anti-cheat mechanisms.

Calls for Universal Character Bans

Separately, a significant portion of the Marvel Rivals player base is advocating for the implementation of universal character bans. Currently, this feature is only available in Diamond rank and above. Players, particularly those in lower ranks, express frustration at facing overpowered characters without the ability to strategically counter them through bans. They argue that extending the character ban system to all ranks would enhance gameplay balance, improve the learning curve for new players, and foster more diverse team compositions. While NetEase has yet to publicly respond to this feedback, the community's desire for this change is evident.