With Marvel Rivals Season 7.5 around the corner, NetEase has shed more light on how they approach balance changes. While balance changes are often controversial, they are essential to any live-service game, and Rivals is no stranger to contentious balance shifts.

In an interview with FRVR, creative director Guangyun Chen outlined a clear philosophy that guides the team’s decisions. This approach doesn’t always align with the loudest voices in the community, but according to the developer, it’s the right one.

Marvel Rivals developers use a “fun first” approach to balance changes

With nearly 50 playable heroes in Marvel Rivals, NetEase has a difficult task of balancing all of them, especially as the team envisions a future with hundreds of heroes. No matter what the balance changes are, it’s almost certain that a few heroes will be overpowered, while others fall behind. Balance changes are based on a mix of feedback, and the development team often downplays the impact of the vocal minority.

At the core of that philosophy is what Chen calls a “fun first” approach. Rather than reacting immediately to player complaints or trending opinions, the team prioritizes overall gameplay enjoyment and long-term balance health. “We balance for ‘fun first,’” Chen said for FRVR. “While the ‘vocal minority’ can be loud, we rely on a mix of qualitative feedback and quantitative data (win rates and match stats).”

The creative director specifically brought up the vocal minority, hinting that the loudest calls for change are not always the most popular ones, noting that this group doesn’t dictate the balance direction. Instead, the team relies on multiple factors, including player feedback and data like win rates, hero performance, pick rates, and more.

A key part of the balancing system in Marvel Rivals is a so-called discovery phase. When new updates and balance changes go live, NetEase intentionally gives players time to adapt and find counters. This allows the development team to step back and take a look at the big picture before implementing changes that could ruin the balance.

“We don’t react on a whim; we wait for a ‘discovery phase’ where players try to find their own counters. If the data still shows an imbalance after that, we step in quickly,” Chen explained. Ultimately, the message from the development team is clear: player feedback matters, but it’s not the only factor that determines balance changes.

With Marvel Rivals Season 7.5 release date set to come out on April 17, NetEase will release more balance changes and a new hero, Black Cat. Earlier this year, the game developer teased major content coming in 2026, calling it the biggest year yet, and the upcoming season will be a significant point.