With the release of Marvel Rivals Season 7, NetEase made a quiet but significant change. The latest season is shorter than previous ones, which comes with both benefits and downsides. It’s certainly a great thing for those who play a lot, but it puts casual players at a big disadvantage.

NetEase has already revealed the release date of Black Cat in Marvel Rivals. Unsurprisingly, the new hero will arrive in Season 7.5, as many have predicted. However, it won’t be long until we get Season 8, as the current season will follow a shortened schedule.

New Marvel Rivals season is shorter than usual

In general, Marvel Rivals seasons last nine weeks, but that is not the case with Season 7. The new season, which introduced White Fox, is set to last only eight weeks in total. In other words, the Battle Pass grind stays the same, but players have less time to complete it.

Here is the roadmap for the first half of the new season, showing all the new things coming with it:

March 27

• New costume: Cloak & Dagger (Daring Duo) & Captain America (ESU Showdown)
• New event: Flight Mode – World Tour Merch Vol. 2
• Happy April Pool’s Day! (released on April 1)

April 3

• New map: Lower Manhattan
• New costume: Invisible Woman (ESU Showdown) & Mister Fantastic (ESU College Life)

April 10

• New costume: Deadpool & Jeff (Black, White, and Broom)
• New costume: Iron Fist (ESU Showdown)

April 17

• Season 7.5

This is certainly fantastic news for those who play often, as many of these players look forward to trying out Black Cat and her abilities. However, this is a huge hit for casual players who can’t play every day. While daily players usually complete the Battle Pass before it expires, those with limited time may not be able to unlock all the rewards.

Season 8 of Marvel Rivals is set to come out on May 15, although NetEase may change this in the future. All in all, this will be an interesting experiment that may positively impact the in-game experience. The game developer won’t slow down with releasing new heroes, so having shorter seasons may be the right move.

NetEase likely made this move to release more content in a shorter period, which should help with higher player retention. New heroes have always spiked the player count, so releasing a new character every four weeks is bound to have a positive impact on the player base. Shorter seasons also bring less burnout, which might be the biggest benefit of the latest change.

In the meantime, Marvel Rivals just got more buffs and nerfs, as well as another free skin.