Marvel Rivals Bot Conspiracy Unveiled

While *Marvel Rivals* continues to dominate the charts on Steam and Twitch, a persistent issue has fans questioning their experience with NetEase Games' new hero shooter: the presence of bots.

Launched in December, *Marvel Rivals* has received widespread acclaim and praise from fans for its unique style and innovative use of iconic characters such as Spider-Man, Wolverine, and the recently added Fantastic Four. The game's success is evident with hundreds of thousands of daily players on Steam alone, as reported by SteamDB. Despite its triumphs, NetEase's hero shooter has not been immune to criticism, particularly regarding the implementation of AI enemies in several game modes.

"I know people may feel differently but playing against bots in (Quickplay) just doesn’t feel good at all to me," expressed one Reddit user. "AI should be in AI modes and that’s it."

Marvel Rivals Tier List: Best Heroes

Much like other multiplayer games released over the past 15 years, *Marvel Rivals* includes practice modes where players face off against AI opponents, commonly known as "bots." These modes allow players to adjust the difficulty level, providing a useful platform for skill improvement or a break from the intensity of matches against human opponents. However, the game has encountered issues with what many players believe to be bots appearing in standard Quickplay matches.

For weeks, social media has been buzzing with posts from users who suspect they are being matched against low-level bot players, with some also reporting that their teammates are occasionally replaced by bots. The prevailing theory is that *Marvel Rivals* might place players into these easier matches following a series of losses to prevent them from feeling discouraged and to reduce queue times.

Unfortunately, NetEase has offered little transparency about the presence of bots in Quickplay matches, and the company has remained silent on the issue (IGN has requested a comment). Since the game's launch, numerous social media posts have highlighted potential indicators of bot matches, such as repetitive in-game behavior, similar teammate names (often single words in all caps or split names), and restricted career profiles for all opponents.

"The fact that you can even get bot games after wins and that the game doesn't tell you that you're against bots is what gets me about this," another Reddit user remarked. "You don't want to learn new heroes in comp because people will understandably rage at you for doing that, but if you try to learn a hero in (Quickplay) you now have to second guess if you actually are getting any better on that hero or if the game is just making you think you are because it's handing you free wins in the form of bots."

The debate over bots in multiplayer games is not new; similar discussions have been ongoing in the *Fortnite* community for years. In the case of *Marvel Rivals*, some players advocate for an option to toggle bot matches on or off, while others demand their complete removal. A segment of the player base appreciates the occasional bot lobby, using it to achieve specific hero milestones. Reddit user ciaranxy raised concerns about this issue shortly after the game's launch, urging the community to investigate.

"So, you can choose to believe this is an issue or not – that is your CHOICE," ciaranxy stated in their post. "But – for everyone else – when you press Quickplay, NetEase does not give you a choice."

If you've spent more than a few hours playing *Marvel Rivals* since its launch, you might have encountered one of these questionable lobbies. I personally experienced at least one suspicious Quickplay match that exhibited several red flags mentioned by the community, including stiff player movement, similarly structured names, and multiple restricted profiles among teammates and the entire enemy team. We have reached out to NetEase for clarification on these concerns and the alleged presence of bots in *Marvel Rivals*.

As the community continues to investigate the bot issue, some players have discovered clever ways to counter them, such as using the Invisible Woman to literally stop bots in their tracks. Despite this controversy, NetEase is looking forward to a promising 2025, starting with the Fantastic Four in Season 1: Eternal Night Falls. Creative director Guangyun Chen has promised to deliver at least one new hero every half-season, and fans can look forward to acquiring a new skin, Peter Parker’s Advanced Suit 2.0 from Marvel’s Spider-Man, later this month.