Marvel Rivals has been out since December 2024, and NetEase has released over 500 skins since then. In-game skins are separated into several tiers, with the highest tier being Legendary. These skins are the most expensive and come with the biggest changes, including extra effects.
Some characters have significantly more Legendary skins than others, which is something Marvel Rivals players aren’t happy about. Certain characters, like Human Torch, don’t have a single top-tier skin in the game. Others, like Jeff the Land Shark and Invisible Woman, have five or more.
The reason behind this is simple and has nothing to do with NetEase’s bias. It comes down to character popularity and revenue potential.
Why some Marvel Rivals characters have more Legendary skins
Miller Ross, a popular content creator who is also an insider, recently addressed the skin imbalance in Marvel Rivals. “If a character’s skins sell better, they get more. If their Legendary skins sell just as well, they get more,” Miller explained on his X profile. “This is how the developers keep the lights on so there’s no room for personal bias. They go where the money is!” he added.
Ross noted that the methodology isn’t perfect, but it appears to be working for NetEase. He also brought up Emma Frost as an example, pointing out the discrepancy between the general opinion about her skins and sales. While players mostly dislike Emma’s skins, they are still among the best-selling cosmetics in the game.
Marvel Rivals isn’t the only free-to-play game that has this issue. After all, Overwatch players don’t like that Kiriko gets more Legendary skins than some original characters, while Fortnite fans don’t always like collaborations, despite Epic Games sending out player surveys very often.
All of these games are free, so all of them rely on cosmetic sales to make profit. As long as this is the case, developers will keep releasing items that sell well, so we can expect more Legendary skins for Sue Storm, Psylocke, Luna Snow, and others.
With Black Cat’s release date around the corner, NetEase will likely release several amazing cosmetics for her. Season 8, which is set to come out in May, could bring another fan-favorite character, which has incredible potential for skins.
