Are there superheroes in disguise? NetEase’s latest release Marvel Rivals has seen over 20 million players enter the multiverse over the past month, with many expressing their love (and frustrations) over social media. While some enjoy their streaks of playing as Hawkeye or Jeff the Land Shark, some feel the wrath of being on the shorthand of the stick. Losing streaks can be annoying to players, especially when it isn’t your fault. However, a recent discovery suggests that after a few losses, you may be paired against an inexperienced team of heroes, or in this case, bots.
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Rumblings of bots being used within Marvel Rivals have made their way through social media within the first few days of its release. Bots aren’t uncommon in free-to-play games, as they are designed to ease the difficulty level for players. In the case of Marvel Rivals, the bots appear in online battles against players who have had a consecutive losing streak, though these specific bots seem to appear only in the game’s Quickplay mode.
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Marvel Rivals Has Added Bot Lobbies For Players Who’ve Been on a Losing Streak
This stems from Reddit user Ciranxy, who took to r/marvelrivals to express their frustration over the transparency surrounding the usage of bots by NetEase. According to their data, which was conducted over a week, they discovered that:
- Bots only appear in Quickplay and do not appear in Competitive
- After two consecutive losses, the chance of being put in a Quickplay bot lobby are “very high.”
- Bot lobbies will feature a team of four human teammates and two bot teammates taking on a team of six bots
- Players “will be penalized for leaving bot lobbies.”
The information provided concludes that if players lose twice consecutively, they are very likely to be paired up with two bots and fight against six bot opponents. The playing field of humans against bots is slightly underwhelming, but this gives those who haven’t earned a win the chance to achieve one. Another fact is that even if you win a battle in Quickplay, there is still a chance you can be put into a bot lobby. Many players took to social media to talk about their opinions on NetEase using bots in the game, with some being optimistic about the use.
According to user Revolutionary_Fee795, they stated that “My first few matches I ever played I completely dominated and I thought I was just really good, then the next day I play and I was suddenly getting crushed in most matches. It’s so hard to tell when you are actually good at the game or if you are just playing against bots with the iq of a toaster.”
Another user Knightgee explained their opinion on the bots’ effect on experiential growth by saying, “The fact that you can even get bot games after wins and that the game doesn’t tell you that you’re against bots is what gets me about this. You don’t want to learn new heroes in comp because people will understandably rage at you for doing that, but if you try to learn a hero in QP (Quickplay) you now have to second guess if you actually are getting any better on that hero or if the game is just making you think you are because it’s handing you free wins in the form of bots.”
While some await for NetEase to respond to the usage of bots, many are still playing the game and enjoying the experience of playing as and against fan-favorite Marvel superheroes and villains. Bots are a controversial topic nowadays with the rise of AI-related advancements, but the data collected isn’t an attack on the company, but it is a call for transparency rather than silence.
What do you think about the usage of bots in Marvel Rivals? Have you experienced bots within the game? Let us know in the comments section on social media!
