Marvel Rivals Will Only Sell Cosmetics, Will Let Players Keep Purchased Battle Passes Forever

Marvel Rivals won’t ever charge for access to its huge roster of playable superheroes and villains, developer NetEase reaffirmed, as it detailed what players can expect from the game’s monetization systems.

NetEase outlined how it is approaching monetization for the upcoming free-to-play hero shooter in a new “Dev Talk” blog post. In short: Only cosmetics will be for sale, which can be bought with the game’s premium currency, Latice, or a free currency, Units. Various cosmetic bundles will be offered, and while players can buy individual costumes for specific characters, bundles including costumes as well as MVP animations, emotes, a spray, and nameplate will be offered at discounted rates.

“The team has poured immense effort into designing and crafting these in-game cosmetics, many of which draw inspiration from Marvel’s iconic comics, films, and other works,” NetEase said. “These items are not only a tribute to Marvel’s artistic legacy but also a way for us to reinterpret and capture different facets of the Marvel universe.”

Marvel Rivals’ impressive roster of playable characters (over 30 and counting, with more on the way) will be accessible to all players for free. Future updates adding new characters, maps, and gameplay features will be free as well, NetEase emphasized.

Like most shooters, Marvel Rivals will include seasonal battle passes. However, unlike most games in the genre, purchased battle passes won’t expire at the end of a season. Players will instead be able to continue making progress on old battle passes after the end of a season, much like the battle pass system in Halo Infinite.

For the game’s initial Season 0, the battle pass will be half the size of a standard battle pass due to the season’s shorter length. It will also cost half as much to compensate. Standard battle passes will be roughly $10, with the shorter Season 0 battle pass costing around $5. The premium (or Luxury, as Marvel Rivals calls it) Season 0 battle pass will include five costumes and various other cosmetics, while the free version will grant one epic-quality costume and some other freebies.

NetEase said other free cosmetics can be earned via achievements and various events. Units can be earned for free from completing achievements or participating in events and used to purchase cosmetics. Units are also included in the Luxury battle pass.

The Overwatch-inspired shooter recently revealed a flurry of new characters, including Wolverine, Squirrel Girl, and Black Widow. Marvel Rivals releases on December 6 for PC and consoles (or December 5 for those in North America), and is available for pre-download now on PC.