Illustration by Matt Knapp

Since its release in late 2024, Marvel Rivals has quickly become a popular PVP shooter game. With multiple game modes, vibrant and elaborate combat options, and fan-favourite Marvel heroes and villains readily available to play, Rivals provides hours of fun for groups of friends or solo play.

A crucial aspect of the PVP genre is matchmaking. Players are eager to be challenged, as it enhances gameplay and raises the stakes, but not so much that it feels impossible, particularly in competitive games. On the other hand, easy gameplay is also begrudged. As fun as it is to decimate a weaker opponent, that too quickly becomes boring. Developers, therefore, must create a system that is fair, balanced, and most importantly, enjoyable, to ensure players continue to engage with the game.

NetEase, the developer of Marvel Rivals, has apparently claimed that the game uses so-called skill-based matchmaking, but I have not found any statement from the developer themselves. Instead, I have found posts and news articles claiming that NetEase has made this statement. Skill-based matchmaking places players with similar skill levels into games to compete. Other factors, such as your location, are also considered, but the main focus is on your skill level. 

Another example of a matchmaking system used in PVP games is engagement-based matchmaking. This prioritises the creation of matches which maximise player retention, rather than fairness. This method is controversial as it focuses on keeping players hooked to the game (and perhaps even nudging them to spend money on in-game cosmetics) instead of fair gameplay. There are multiple threads about Rival’s matchmaking across platforms, such as Reddit and Steam, and how it appears to be unfair. Often, you’ll see posts where people refer to their match histories, pointing out long streaks of consistent losses or in one case, a poster showed that in a high-level ranked game, a teammate’s highlight (the part of the game where the player did best) was them running around in spawn before the game began.

The level of discussion around the matchmaking system in Marvel Rivals is predominantly motivated by players’ experiences and the research NetEase has been involved in, proving as an interesting debate amongst the gaming community.

A 2020 proposal of the “EnMatch” framework, which was written by several NetEase developers, is used as ‘proof’ amongst the gaming community that NetEase do indeed employ engagement-based matchmaking. This framework ‘aims to ensure fair games and simultaneously enhance player engagement.’ The proposal discusses that simply matching players based on skill doesn’t lead to high player retention or engagement. 

With the suggestion that engagement-based matchmaking algorithms are ‘better’ than skill-based, it is clear where NetEase’s interests lie… It’s hardly far-fetched to believe that the findings of this research would be implemented into Marvel Rivals in some way, but the extent to which it’s done is not clear and can only be speculated.

Players have discussed their experiences with bots in QuickPlay, a game mode open to all players. Sometimes, usually after losing several matches, you’ll be placed in a game where 2 of your teammates and the entire enemy team are bots. The strange thing is that the game doesn’t tell you this, and the bots “borrow” the names of real players. There’s a gamemode where you can choose to play against bots, so the game forcing these matches onto players is perplexing. 

 There is a strong case for match manipulation in QuickPlay to maintain player retention. After losing a lot of matches, playing with bots that are designed to perform a lot worse than the average player results in a near guaranteed win to end that streak. It’s harder to be completely certain that competitive matches are being manipulated to a similar level. Still, there are hints of matches not being entirely equal in terms of skill level. 

I leave you with this question: Is it right for a matchmaking system to be designed around keeping you playing the game?