While this generation has seen some major live-service successes such as Embark Studios’ Arc Raiders, other games like Highguard, Concord, and others have been colossal failures with high-profile shutdowns just weeks after launch.
Another huge live-service game to release this generation is undoubtedly Marvel Rivals, NetEase’s free-to-play hero shooter. After a successful launch in December 2024, Rivals is planning a massive expansion that will allow the game to “move beyond” its 6v6 PvP gameplay to deliver a “moving anime Marvel experience”.
As Rivals preps for its biggest year ever, creative director Guangyun Chen discussed the current survival rate of live-service games with FRVR. The director explained that even deciding to create a live-service game nowadays requires studios to be “nimble and agile” to constantly monitor “community trends” and deliver what players want.
Additionally, while many games are closing weeks after launch, sticking with a title and trying to evolve it is also important to long-term success. “Survival in this market depends on patience, embracing change, and listening to the community while maintaining a high-quality core loop,” he said.
Rivals’ success in the market has also inspired other studios to expand their plans for their own live-service titles. Blizzard’s Overwatch, the leader of the modern hero shooter genre, recently relaunched with a new, faster update structure directly intended to be closer to the large-scale updates of Marvel Rivals.
“Our focus has always been to put the “Hero” back in the hero shooter,” Chen said, explaining that the innovative release structure and gameplay of Rivals (such as its destruction mechanics) have been noticed by competitors.
“Seeing our innovations—like environmental destruction and heavy ability-based gameplay—resonate within the industry validates our vision of making Marvel Rivals a ‘best in class’ experience that pushes everyone to improve,” they said.
Marvel Rivals Season 7.5 is just around the corner, and it’s just one part of NetEase’s plans to make 2026 the biggest year ever for the hero shooter. With Path to Doomsday approaching, a large-scale tie-in for this year’s Avengers: Doomsday,
