While Marvel Rivals continues to dominate the Steam and Twitch charts, a significant issue has sparked suspicion among fans playing NetEase Games' new hero shooter: the presence of bots. Launched in December, the superhero-themed competitive multiplayer game received critical acclaim and fan praise for its unique style and innovative use of iconic characters like Spider-Man, Wolverine, and the recently added Fantastic Four. The game's success is evident with hundreds of thousands of daily players on Steam alone, according to SteamDB. Despite successfully navigating many challenges common to the genre, concerns have been mounting for weeks regarding the implementation of AI enemies in various game modes.
"I know people may feel differently but playing against bots in (Quickplay) just doesn’t feel good at all to me," expressed one Reddit user. "AI should be in AI modes and that’s it."
### Marvel Rivals Tier List: Best HeroesMarvel Rivals Tier List: Best Heroes
Similar to other multiplayer games released over the past 15 years, Marvel Rivals includes practice modes designed for players to face off against AI-controlled "bots." These modes allow players to adjust the difficulty to their preference, serving as valuable tools for skill improvement and a break from the intensity of matches against human opponents. However, the game is encountering issues with what many players believe are bots appearing in standard Quickplay matches.
For weeks, social media has been buzzing with posts from players suspecting they are matched against low-level bot players, with some also reporting their teammates being replaced by bots. Theories suggest that these bot matches might be triggered after a series of losses, potentially to prevent players from feeling discouraged and to reduce queue times. Yet, NetEase has offered little transparency on the presence of bots in Quickplay matches, and the company has remained silent on the issue despite requests for comment from IGN.
Players have been actively sharing potential signs of bot matches on social media, including repetitive in-game behaviors, similarly structured teammate names, and entire enemy teams with "restricted" career profiles. "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," another Reddit user remarked. "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 (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."
The use of bots in multiplayer games is not a new phenomenon; debates over their impact on games like Fortnite have persisted for years. In response to the situation in Marvel Rivals, some players advocate for an option to toggle bot matches on or off, while others demand their complete removal. Conversely, a segment of the player base appreciates the occasional bot lobby as an opportunity to achieve specific hero milestones. Reddit user ciaranxy, who began questioning their matches shortly after launch, encouraged the community to investigate further, stating, "So, you can choose to believe this is an issue or not – that is your CHOICE. But – for everyone else – when you press Quickplay, NetEase does not give you a choice."
If you've played Marvel Rivals for more than a few hours since its launch, you might have encountered one of these contentious lobbies. I can personally confirm experiencing at least one suspicious Quickplay match, featuring elements such as unnatural player movements, similarly structured names, and multiple restricted profiles among teammates and the entire enemy team. We have reached out to NetEase for clarification on these matches and the alleged presence of bots in Marvel Rivals.
While players continue to investigate the presence of bots across the gaming landscape, you can learn more about how some Marvel Rivals players are using the Invisible Woman to literally stop bots in their tracks. Despite this controversy, NetEase is looking forward to a bright future in 2025, starting with the Fantastic Four in Season 1: Eternal Night Falls. Creative director Guangyun Chen has promised to deliver at least one new hero every half-season, and later this month, fans can expect to pick up a new skin in the form of Peter Parker’s Advanced Suit 2.0 from Marvel’s Spider-Man.
