Summary
FormerMarvel Rivalsdirector Thaddeus Sasser claims that he was responsible for pitching team-up abilities to NetEase Games.Marvel Rivalshelps bring the world of comics to life by imbuing specific groups of characters with team-up abilities. These can be anything from providing a damage boost to an ally to actually resurrecting them when they get eliminated. Team-ups can be both fun and powerful, with the ability to make a significant impact on the battlefield.
During an earnings call, NetEase Games stated thatMarvel Rivalshas attracted over 40 million playersand dominated both Steam’s top-sellers and concurrent players charts at launch. Afterward,Marvel Rivalsoutdid itself by breaking its concurrent player record with the launch of Season 1: Eternal Night Falls. In the eyes of many fans, the popular hero shooter has been an overwhelming success. Unfortunately, this didn’t stop a small Seattle-based team from being laid off right before the debut of the game’s major mid-season update. NetEase Games stated that the layoffs occurred in an attempt to “optimize development efficiency” and promised fans that more high-quality content is on the way.
In a recentpost on LinkedIn, Thaddeus Sasser claimed to have brought the idea of team-up abilities to NetEase Games. He even said he had included the Storming Ignition team-up between Storm and Human Torch in the pitch, which allows the duo to create a massive flaming tornado on the battlefield. Sasser also cited the Fastball Special ability shared by Hulk andWolverine inMarvel Rivals, which has longstanding roots in the comics.
Former Marvel Rivals Director Thaddeus Sasser Helped Create Team-Ups
When the news broke, Sasser noted how strange it was tolose his job withMarvel Rivals, given that the title was clearly a massive success for NetEase Games. Some players were quick to point out that these weren’t sweeping layoffs, as Sasser led a relatively small team during his time with the company. However, the former director’s claims shine a light on the fact that even small groups of developers can have a large impact on a game. Many fans have even acknowledged that team-ups help to keep things interesting and add an extra layer of strategy to team composition.
According to Sasser,Marvel Rivals' team-upswere partially designed to keep the game’s meta in flux, claiming that “a perfect balance is a boring balance.” They’re also meant to emphasize the various relationships that often occur within comics, which can be brought to life in the game by groups like The Fantastic Four having a unified team-up. With Human Torch and The Thing now in the popular hero shooter, many fans are looking forward to diving into the second half of Season 1: Eternal Night Falls.
