The Marvel Rivals Season 1 update appears to have done more than add the Fantastic Four — players say it’s also cracked down on mods.
Ever since Marvel Rivals’ hugely successful December launch players have used mods to create custom skins despite concern over account bans. Popular mods include turning Iron Man into Vegeta from Dragon Ball and Mantis into a goth. There’s even a mod that turns Jeff the Land Shark into Pochita from Chainsaw Man.
Using mods violates Marvel Rivals’ terms of use, and developer NetEase itself has warned players against modifying game files. Despite the risk of getting banned, Marvel Rivals mods remain hugely popular.
Until now. Players are reporting the Season 1 update has added asset hash checking, which in turn has disabled mods. The official Marvel Rivals Discord is starting to fill up with questions from bemused players who are asking why their mods aren’t working, and social media is now bubbling up the explanation. IGN has asked NetEase for comment.
Some have suggested mod makers may be able to issue workarounds for their creations, but as it stands Marvel Rivals is a mod-free game. And the crackdown perhaps comes as little surprise. NetEase generates revenue from the free-to-play hero shooter through the sale of premium skins. If modding threatens that revenue in any way, NetEase will have taken a dim view.
We’ve seen a similar crackdown from other developers who sell premium skins for their games. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 developer Saber Interactive and publisher Focus Entertainment at one point disabled mods for the game, although later reversed its decision. Will NetEase for Marvel Rivals?
In the meantime, check out the Marvel Rivals Season 1 patch notes, and official stats that reveal Marvel Rivals’ pick and win rates in Quickplay and Competitive modes for Season 0. And keep an eye on the latest Marvel Rivals codes for free skins, and vote on the strongest Marvel Rivals characters in our community tier list.
Image credit: Vegeta as Iron Man mod on Nexus Mods.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
