Marvel Rivals has dethroned Overwatch in popularity as appealing character designs and a lack of forced identity politics attract more and more players. The world of PVP gaming has seen players leaving Overwatch for Marvel Rivals in droves.
For years, Overwatch has been the go-to game for many PVP players seeking to play as superheroes. The characters and their varying abilities appealed to different play-styles, adding to the game’s overall entertainment and marketing success. However, Overwatch 2 derailed that appeal with flawed character designs and DEI insertions.
A screenshot from Overwatch 2 x Cowboy Bebop (2024), Blizzard Entertainment
Marvel Rivals, on the other hand, has done the opposite of Overwatch 2.
The developers of Marvel Rivals have kept players engaged with intriguing gameplay and attractive characters.
TimTheTatman predicts that Overwatch is “cooked” if Marvel Rivals keeps adding skins like ‘Invisible Woman Malice’ pic.twitter.com/3VJbUyrhV6
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) January 8, 2025
For instance, the evil version of Invisible Woman, Malice, has been making the rounds on social media because of her evocative attire. Many tourists are complaining about this character skin, claiming it’s for “gooners” and “the male gaze.” What most critics don’t know is that this costume is actually straight from the comics! This, in turn, has brought in many comic fans who are excited to see their favorite characters given respectful, lore-accurate designs free of the chains of political correctness.
As a result, Marvel Rivals’ success has been Overwatch’s bane. According to a recent article by Dexerto, the streaming views for Overwatch on Twitch have tanked, reaching a peak of 125k viewers in November of 2024 that was nearly halved to 64k in only a month.
🔥 Season 1 is HERE! 🔥| Marvel Rivals (Drops on Twitch) https://t.co/eWB5zfGF1X
— Kara Lynne (@Kara_Creates) January 10, 2025
Marvel Rivals’ viewership peaked at 275k near launch and has since gained even more since then. Many Twitch streamers have seen this success and joined the Marvel Rivals servers to grow their channels.
Meanwhile, though Overwatch still maintains its dedicated fanbase, its developers have yet to realize what they’re doing wrong. The game has not been well-maintained and there have been no reports of an Overwatch 3. Woke agendas inserted into the characters’ designs and lore have not helped matters, either.
A screenshot of Venture from Overwatch 2 (2023), Blizzard
Will the Overwatch Overlords learn from their “Marvelous” Rivals? That remains to be seen. For now, it seems the gaming world has simply moved on to fresher, more attractive things.
What are your thoughts? Are you playing Marvel Rivals? If so, who’s your main? Let us know in the comments below!
Raven Redgrave, AKA Writing Raven, is the co-host of the Gothic Therapy YouTube channel with her husband MasterOfTheTDS. The channel features a look at pop culture, entertainment, and gaming with insightful commentary, sharp critiques, and a dose of dark humor.
