Deutsch
Español
Français
Italiano
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Русский
Türkçe
Svenska
Chinese
MagyarMarvel Rivals: Contract prohibits streamers from criticizing new Marvel shooter
Marvel Rivals is a new 6v6 shooter that is very similar to Overwatch. However, instead of Blizzard characters, Marvel heroes are on the battlefield here. The game is being developed by NetEase Games - a Chinese developer and publisher best known for bringing Hearthstone and Diablo Immortal to the Chinese market in collaboration with Blizzard. Marvel Rivals is expected to be released in the first or second quarter of 2025, but is currently in the alpha phase.
Strict ban on criticism for streamers
Twitch streamer and Overwatch pro Brandon Larned aka A_Seagull has published an excerpt on X (formerly Twitter) of the contract that streamers had to sign for access to the Marvel Rivals alpha. It explicitly forbids making negative comments about the Marvel shooter or comparing it unfavorably to other games. Satirical comments are also prohibited, meaning that streamers are not even allowed to praise the game in a sarcastic manner. The Reddit community is not at all pleased about this and the comments under Seagull's X-Post are also raging:
Extremely disappointed in @MarvelRivals.
— Brandon Larned (@A_Seagull) May 12, 2024
Multiple creators asked for key codes to gain access to the playtest and are asked to sign a contract.
The contract signs away your right to negatively review the game.
Many streamers have signed without reading just to play
Insanity. pic.twitter.com/c11BUDyka9
NetEase Games apologizes and wants to revise the contract
One day after Seagull's X-Post, the team behind Marvel Rivals has officially apologized and announced a revision of the contract. However, it is not clear from the X-Post whether streamers will be allowed to talk openly about Marvel Rivals during the remaining alpha phase.
"We sincerely apologize for the confusion, suspicion, and frustration caused by these excessively restrictive terms […] We are currently working with Creators who have expressed these concerns and are revising the current version to be less restrictive and more Creator-friendly."
Source(s)
