Marvel Rivals makes big change in response to players throwing matches

On March 7, Marvel Rivals Developer NetEase Games announced some new measures it took to combat ranked matchmaking following player feedback and suggestions. The Marvel Rivals the development team stated that these new countermeasures are upgrades to its already existing anti-dumping protocol.

In short, “throw” a ranked match in any competitive game, incl Marvel Rivalsmeans someone intentionally not participating in the game by either walking away from the keyboard (AFK) or other forms of sabotage. This naturally puts the team with the throwing teammate at a significant disadvantage and often causes all members of the losing team to lose ranking points. With that in mind Marvel Rivals has competitively ranked matchmaking, this has led to some high ranked players throwing matches to keep others out. A Marvel Rivals fan-made site called Intlist was created with the intention of putting “bounties” on famous pitchers by “counter-throwing” matches for profit.

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Marvel Rivals will compensate victims of ranked match rolls

After receiving an “overwhelming amount of feedback” from players throughout Marvel Rivals Season 6.5, NetEase Games stated that they made two important upgrades to discourage match throwing. According to Marvel RivalsSocial media posts have a server-wide matching detection system implemented. This new system is a combination of data analysis and manual review that improves the amount of malicious behavior that can be detected during a ranked match. Once any malicious or intentional match-casting is confirmed by the new system, NetEase Games stated that any account that violates the game's anti-casting rules will face some severe penalties. However, it is currently unclear what these new penalties are, or how effective they will be in deterring match throwing.

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Following the changes on March 7, Intlist stated that it was changing from a paid bounty site to a free reporting platform, focused on community transparency. Intlist stated that bounty payouts would still be made and any unclaimed ones would be refunded in accordance with its policies. Intlist said more details would be forthcoming.

As part of its effort to discourage bad gaming behavior, NetEase Games will compensate Marvel Rivals players caught in the crossfire in a match-throwing situation. This new measure is called the Victim Compensation Protocol. Given that some players have resorted to putting prize money on famous bowlers, this has had a negative effect on innocent Marvel Rivals players who want to climb the ranks. NetEase Games stated that should its improved system catch a match thrower, all other players who lost ranking points due to a teammate throwing the match will get their points back. Marvel Rivals players eligible for point compensation will receive an in-game email when any lost rank points have been returned to them. It remains to be seen how quickly Marvel Rivals will compensate all affected players, given that manual reviews are part of the new match casting detection system.

Marvel rivals can still improve their penalties for bad player behavior

In response to Marvel Rivalschanges, some fans thanked NetEase Games for their continued efforts to improve ranked matches for everyone. One Twitter user stated that they hoped the manual review part of the Marvel Rivals' new throw detection system would also crack down on alternate accounts, also known as smurf accounts, for players who still flout the game's rules against throwing. Other users were hoping to see Marvel Rivals continue to improve their measures against match deserters and throwers, with one saying that the end of the season may be the best time to test NetEase's new countermeasures. But the effectiveness of Marvel Rivals' new systems are still dependent on continued feedback and reports from players.

Alongside its new countermeasures against match throwing, Marvel Rivals recently presented a roadmap for 2026 inspired by Avengers film series. Named the road to doomsday, Marvel Rivals will release new game modes and in-game events based on The Infinity Saga and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This roadmap culminates with a tie-in event in December along with the planned theatrical release of Avengers: Judgment Day. With Marvel Rivals Continuing its efforts to improve the game and bring in new players, time will tell how NetEase's hit squad shooter will fare throughout the year.