Crafting a game using a hugely popular IP doesn’t always guarantee a smash hit (I’m thinking of you, Marvel’s Avengers and Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League), yet it undeniably gives any project a significant advantage right off the bat. The mere concept of Marvel Rivals has already whipped fans into a frenzy, and its beta phases indicated that the gameplay matches the excitement. With just over a week to go before its full release, it’s achieved an important milestone—it’s officially gone gold.
Poised to compete with the likes of Deadlock and Overwatch 2, Marvel Rivals is shaping up to be a strong contender amongst the top multiplayer games slated for 2024. During its summer beta, the game saw a peak player count of over 50,000 on Steam alone, and its official launch is expected to surpass that figure significantly.
This free-to-play hero shooter currently ranks sixth on Steam’s most wishlisted games list, trailing only behind big titles like Path of Exile 2, Delta Force, Deadlock, Hollow Knight Silksong, and Monster Hunter Wilds. Such enthusiasm suggests a massive influx of players once Marvel Rivals hits the market next week. Today’s announcement that it’s gone gold, coupled with recent reveals of new content and gameplay enhancements, positions it perfectly to seize this opportunity.
Though the traditional meaning of ‘going gold’ might hold lesser weight in today’s gaming environment, when a developer or publisher confirms their game has reached gold status, it reassures everyone that there won’t be any last-minute hitches or frantic rushing to the finish line.
Even after the beta wrapped up, Marvel Rivals hasn’t slowed its momentum. Since then, it’s been revealed that Moon Knight and Hawkeye will join the lineup of free-to-unlock heroes, increasing the total to an impressive 28 characters from the Marvel Rivals universe at launch. The game has also pledged to display all hero stats (with plans to include pick rates and win rates in the future) to ensure full gameplay transparency. Recently, three new maps have been announced—one set on the symbiote world of Klyntar, another in Intergalactic Wakanda, and a third located in a Hydra base.
With all this, plus the fact that it’s free-to-play, Marvel Rivals seems poised to attract a massive player base. The game launches on Friday, December 6, available on Steam and various consoles.
Until the release, there are plenty of fantastic free PC games to enjoy. Our compilation of the best superhero games can also provide some great titles to dive into while you wait.
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