Marvel Rivals Developer Apologizes for "Restrictive" Terms Against Negative Alpha Feedback

Content creators will no longer be blocked from saying negative things about the game.

By Marc Deschamps

The closed alpha for Marvel Rivals began a few days ago. While it seems a lot of Marvel fans have jumped at the chance to test the new game, several players were surprised to see that the alpha had some strict restrictions regarding negative feedback. As shared by Jake Lucky on Twitter, the agreement creators must sign has a non-disparagement clause. This clause states that players are prohibited from "making disparaging or satirical comments" and "engaging in malicious comparisons with competitors." While that would be eyebrow-raising enough on its own, the clause even prevents creators from "providing subjective negative reviews of the game."

While content creators often have to agree to certain terms when it comes to previewing or reviewing games (usually regarding spoilers and embargo dates), it's basically unheard of for a publisher to prevent someone from saying anything negative. Thankfully, this clause has gotten a lot of negative pushback from creators, and NetEase has now publicly apologized for these restrictions. 

NetEase's Statement

"We sincerely apologize for the confusion, suspicion, and frustration caused by these excessively restrictive terms and thank you for sharing with us. We cherish and appreciate every suggestion given by our players and always respect your feedback. 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. Thank you for bearing with us while we make these adjustments," a statement on the game's official Twitter account reads. 

How Content Creators Are Reacting

At this time, it's unclear why NetEase was being so restrictive about feedback for the game, but it definitely sounds like the company was worried about negative comparisons to Overwatch. Since Marvel Rivals was announced back in March, gamers immediately made a connection between the two hero shooters, and it's possible there were concerns about just that. Whatever the case might be, NetEase has now gone back on that clause. 

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Hopefully this results in a better overall game! The whole point of alphas and betas is so that the developers can get feedback from players, and create a better finished product. Restricting negative feedback doesn't help anyone, and instead might make players more wary about the game when it gets a full release. With those restrictions lifted, it will be interesting to see how content creators react to the game, and what they actually have to say. Reception to this statement from NetEase has been overly positive, with many people thanking the studio for quickly changing course. At the very least, it seems NetEase has gotten the message! 

Are you looking forward to playing Marvel Rivals for yourself? Does it make you more wary that NetEase was putting such strict restrictions on coverage? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

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