Content Creators Barred From Speaking Negatively About Marvel Rivals

Highlights

Content creators hoping to play Marvel Rivals must sign a contract relinquishing their right to negatively review the game.
This clause in the contract prohibits making disparaging comments about game features, characters, or music.

Marvel Rivals, an upcoming hero shooter from NetEase Games, is now landing in the hands of content creators as the game holds a closed alpha playtest. However, don’t be surprised if you only see a positive reception for the game, as these early players must enter into a non-disparagement agreement to receive a key.

This clause was highlighted by Brandon “A_Seagull” Larned, a streamer and former professional Overwatch player.

“Extremely disappointed in Marvel Rivals… the contract signs away your right to negatively review the game,” Larned wrote in an X (formerly Twitter) post.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Has The Best Opening I’ve Ever Played

Bombastic and fantastic.

The screenshot, posted by Larned, displays the “Non-Disparagement” section of the Marvel Rivals contract.

“The Content Creator agrees not to make any public statements or engage in discussions that are detrimental to the reputation of the game,” the contract reads.

“Making disparaging or satirical comments about any game-related material, such as game features, characters or music,” it continues. “Engaging in malicious comparisons with competitors or belittling the gameplay, or differences of ‘Marvel Rivals’ or providing subjective negative reviews of the game.”

According to reporting by Eurogamer, the official Discord of Marvel Rivals has a section in its FAQ that states there is no NDA, and players are encouraged to share their experiences. This contradicts the contract that content creators are expected to sign.

Great Power Etc.

Marvel Rivals is a collaborative project between Marvel Games and Chinese giants NetEase. It’s intended to be a free-to-play hero shooter in the vein of Overwatch. Currently, there are only plans to release Marvel Rivals on PC.

A recent data mine has revealed some of the additional characters Marvel Rivals is planning to add, including Captain America, Moon Knight and Thor. NetEase plans to ship the game with 19 characters, including fan-favourites Spider-Man, Black Panther and Star-Lord (thanks, Forbes).

Marvel Rivals doesn’t currently have a release window.