Marvel Rivals, the Overwatch-like starring Spider-Man, Scarlet Witch, and other Marvel superheroes, came under fire over the weekend during its ongoing closed alpha playtest. After reading through developer NetEase’s contract for access to the playtest, streamers noticed a section that precludes them from speaking negatively about the game. The blowback was loud enough that NetEase had to put out a statement.
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Most of the noise started when streamer Brandon “A_Seagull” Larned tweeted an excerpt from the contract with the non-disparagement clause. If signed, the user may not “make any public statements or engage in discussions that are detrimental to the reputation” of Marvel Rivals. This includes making “disparaging or satirical comments” about any of the game’s features, characters, or music. The contract also specifically prohibits making “malicious comparisons” to competitors or providing “subjective negative reviews” [note: all reviews are subjective].
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Some creators seemed to have overlooked (or not read) this part of the contract, and as Larned’s post circulated, there were reports that members of the Marvel Rivals creator program were being removed. Streamer Miller Ross tweeted about The Aftershow Podcast co-hosts being banned from the creator program for critiquing Marvel Rivals (one of whom says they hadn’t signed the playtest contract), asking for them to be reinstated, as they had their issues but largely enjoyed the game.
As more people spoke out against this part of the contract, NetEase sent an apologetic email to creators saying it was aware of “inappropriate and misleading terms” in the document, and said its “stand” on the matter was “open for both suggestions and criticisms to improve [its] game,” and that it would be revising the “miscommunication terms” of the contract. Shortly after, one of the co-hosts from The Aftershow Podcast was unbanned from the creator program. This culminated in a public statement on Marvel Rivals’ official social channels on May 13, apologizing for the “confusion, suspicion, and frustration” caused by the “excessively restrictive terms” from the original contract and said it is revising the agreement. The full statement reads as follows:
NetEase announced Marvel Rivals back in March. It’s very evocative of Overwatch’s team-based gameplay, and includes characters from Avengers staples like Iron Man and The Hulk to X-Men and Guardians of the Galaxy supes. The game will have 18 heroes at launch, with plans to add more through seasonal updates.
