Marvel Rivals Producer On Character Picks And Team-Up Overhaul
The producer's answer reframes hero selection as a design decision rather than a marketing one, which explains why Marvel Rivals keeps drawing on comics characters with little prior game presence.
Reporting from 1 source: Game Spark.
In a gamescom 2026 interview, Marvel Rivals publishing producer Sam Bian said character popularity is not weighted heavily when adding new heroes. The team prioritizes a hero's individuality and how it fits the current community, which Bian credits for the reception of Jubilee and The Hood. He also said the Season 9 Team-Up overhaul had been planned for some time and was released once development finished.
Speaking at gamescom 2026, publishing producer Sam Bian said Marvel Rivals picks new heroes for their uniqueness rather than their fame. Jubilee and The Hood are his examples of characters who found an audience through the game after limited exposure in other titles.
On the Season 9 Team-Up overhaul, Bian said the concept had existed internally for some time and was not originally aimed at that season. The change shipped once development wrapped, when the team judged the timing right. Bian also discussed movie, comic, and anime tie-ins, and where he sees the game in five years.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.