Marvel Rivals Developers Roll Back Mid-Season Rank Reset Following Player Backlash

Season 1 of Marvel Rivals has been an exciting ride, bringing new heroes from the Fantastic Four, fresh maps, and more. As the mid-season update approached, NetEase planned to implement a rank reset for competitive play. However, just hours after announcing it, they abruptly reversed the decision. Here’s what you need to know about this change and why it’s a significant moment for Marvel Rivals.

Marvel Rivals Developers Roll Back Mid-Season Rank Reset Following Player Backlash

As many of you know, NetEase originally planned to reset player ranks in Marvel Rivals' competitive mode as part of the mid-season update for Season 1. In Dev Talk Vol. 10, they explained their reasoning:

Hey Rivals,

The first half of Season 1 is reaching its end with the second half set to kick off on February 21, 2025! Get ready to welcome two new Super Heroes to Marvel Rivals—The Thing and Human Torch—along with seasonal rank adjustments.

We will be introducing additional… pic.twitter.com/KpKZsSpAGu

— Marvel Rivals (@MarvelRivals) February 10, 2025

“After careful observations and consideration, we have concluded that players’ ranks during the first half of Season 1 are the best indicator of their competitive skills within the season. So, we will be introducing an additional rank reset to better align with the upcoming content and changes!”

However, players pushed back against this decision - loudly. The backlash was swift, and the discussion quickly reached a boiling point. Surprisingly, NetEase responded almost immediately. Just hours later, in Dev Talk Vol. 11 (which they likely didn’t expect to release so soon after the last) they reversed course on the rank reset.

Thank you for all your passionate discussions and feedback. There wil be NO RANK RESET when the second half of the season begins! Check out the details here! https://t.co/zM4IWsVRw0#marvelrivalspic.twitter.com/7Cpn3aiwUx

— Marvel Rivals (@MarvelRivals) February 11, 2025

Addressing player concerns, they stated: “A common concern was the pressure associated with having a rank reset every half-season, which has made participating in a competitive mode less enjoyable,” they explained. “In light of the community’s input, we have decided to make some changes to optimize the rank system.”

With that, it’s now confirmed that the mid-season update will still go live on February 21. Players at Gold rank will receive their consumable rewards, and higher-tier players—such as Grandmaster and above - will still earn their Crest of Honor. However, the rank reset has officially been scrapped.

This quick response from NetEase was widely praised by Marvel Rivals fans, and even Overwatch 2 players took notice. Popular Overwatch 2 and Marvel Rivals player Eskay commented on X, highlighting how unusual it is to see such a rapid turnaround from developers:

“After 8 years of Overwatch, this is like getting hit by a semi-truck,” Eskay said. “The Overwatch 2 team listens to their players, it just takes a long time, especially for something this big.”

after 8 years of overwatch this is like getting hit by a semi truck what the fuck https://t.co/KszVoMjJmp

— eskay (@EskayOW) February 11, 2025

Other players echoed this sentiment, with one joking: “If this were an [Overwatch] adjustment, it would’ve taken three reworks, two mini-ranked seasons, six seasons to admit they messed up, and another three seasons to make a change.”

While Blizzard has been working to improve the speed of its updates, NetEase is setting a strong precedent by acting quickly from the very start of Marvel Rivals. So, kudos to NetEase for listening to player feedback and making changes when needed rather than charging ahead and having to backtrack later.