A new report reveals that Marvel Rivals almost never saw the light of day, as NetEase’s CEO reportedly opposed paying Disney for character licensing.
Marvel Rivals has been a huge hit since it launched, pulling in over 40 million players and reportedly raking in more than $200 million in revenue so far. The game, which brings Marvel heroes into a fast-paced team-based shooter, seemed like a guaranteed success. But behind the scenes, things weren’t always smooth. In fact, according to a new Bloomberg report, NetEase CEO William Ding almost pulled the plug on the game entirely.
Even with all this success, NetEase recently laid off part of the game’s creative team based in Seattle, raising eyebrows about the company’s long-term plans for the title. Now, new information sheds light on a major internal struggle that could have stopped Marvel Rivals before it even launched.
Marvel Rivals Was Nearly Canceled Before Launch
According to Bloomberg (paywalled), Ding pushed back against the idea of paying Disney for the right to use Marvel characters like Wolverine and Spider-Man in the game. At one point, he even suggested swapping them out for original characters designed by NetEase’s artists instead.
This debate reportedly cost the company millions of dollars, as time and resources were spent on the idea before ultimately sticking with the Marvel license.
“Before it was released, there were discussions about it being canceled, one of the people said,” the report reads. “Ding objected to paying Walt Disney Co. for the use of popular characters like Wolverine and Spider-Man, and at one point asked his artists to swap in their own hero designs.
“That ultimately aborted effort cost the company millions of dollars and was emblematic of the abrupt changes ushered in by the CEO.”
A NetEase spokesperson denied this version of events, claiming the company has had a “close partnership with Marvel since 2017.” Ding, who has a reported net worth of $32.5 billion, has taken a hands-on approach to NetEase’s business decisions. He’s been shifting the company’s focus toward high-profit, mass-market games while cutting back on international projects and studios, per the Bloomberg report.
Despite the layoffs and behind-the-scenes struggles, Marvel Rivals keeps pushing forward. Just this week, Season 1.5 launched, bringing Human Torch and The Thing from the Fantastic Four into the game.
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