Publisher NetEase Games has finally banned custom skin mods in Marvel Rivals, and a developer with credits on “multiple live service games” explained why this is happening with so many multiplayer hits.
Marvel Rivals recently ushered in its first season, adding some Fantastic Four characters and hitting record highs in doing so, but its first season also spawned a ban on unofficial skins that players had created. These included some anime masks and things like the banned Donald Trump and Joe Biden ones that caused an uproar last week, among others. And with so many online games taking a similar route, developer Del Walker decided to weigh in on the “why” based on his experiences working at Rocksteady, Sega, and more.
“After working on several live service games, here are the reasons I was told that mods unfortunately need to be banned,” Walker recently tweeted, before listing eight possible reasons. Feats are a factor. “Some mods can make an enemy easier to see… or make you harder to see” Even in a game like Marvel Rivals, where custom skins will only appear to the player wearing them, going invisible would give you theoretically a better field of vision than your opponents.
Other reasons may include server stress, as mods are not “optimized” and can often do “some weird things” that the developers were not prepared for, NSFW mods or political mods could cause brand damage and legal issues from “Many modifications infringe copyrighted designs or assets.” There's also concern that modders could create custom skins that developers were planning to add in a future battle pass or store update, and “studios aren't going to let you mess with their revenue.”
The official Marvel Rivals stats show Mantis dominates, Magik is a hit, everyone loves Jeff even if he sucks, and Black Widow is in the dumpster.