Marvel Rivals Devs Explain The Challenges Of Creating Third-Person Comic-Book Action

Marvel Rivals is inspired by Overwatch, but one area where the game stands out is in its decision to utilize a third-person perspective as opposed to the first-person viewpoint of Blizzard's hero shooter. Why third-person? According to NetEase Games, using a "third-person shooter" foundation as its combat core allows for players to fully embody the superheroes and villains they're playing as, especially when combat isn't limited to guns.

Executing ranged and melee attacks using quick targeting necessitated the use of a third-person viewpoint and was decided early on in the development of Marvel Rivals. At the same time, NetEase ran into a few challenges when adopting this system, as Marvel characters come in a wide range of shapes and sizes.

"We've been playing around with camera rules, tweaking positions, adjusting FOV (field of view), and fine-tuning hero performances to make sure they all shine," NetEase wrote in a developer diary on the Marvel Rivals Discord. "Another challenge is encouraging players to switch from FPS to TPS. If you're used to FPS games, leaping into our TPS realm might feel a bit like going into a whole new world!"

NetEase says players familiar with FPS games will need to adjust to these differences, but it's aiming to make the transition as smooth as possible. The Marvel Rivals closed alpha is scheduled to launch this month, and its roster will include Black Panther, Spider-Man, Magneto, Scarlet Witch, and several other characters for this early taste of the game. NetEase also recently released a new trailer showing off Loki's trickster skills in combat.

Marvel Rivals will be a free-to-play game when it launches on PC, but a final release date has yet to be announced.