Ex-Blizzard President Blasts Marvel Rivals As Overwatch Clone, Faces Backlash For 'Ridiculous' Claim

Following the announcement of the superhero team-based PvP shooter Marvel Rivals from developer NetEase Games, the game has seen a fair share of constructive criticisms, comparisons, and disproportionate takes that have circulated the gaming space. One of the biggest areas of concern was its identity amidst the Overwatch comparison before the game's alpha and beta tests went live.

With the game slated to release this Friday, it's fair to state that the Overwatch comparisons were slightly exaggerated, and instead, the developers were inspired by Overwatch. However, the former Blizzard President Mike Ybarra didn't have the same sentiment, taking to X (formally Twitter) last night to throw shade at the new NetEase title.

In fact, Ybarra appeared to suggest that Marvel Rivals was simply a copy of Overwatch, even (bizarrely) going as far as to poke fun at Black Widow as a carbon copy of the famous Overwatch character Widowmaker.

"Looks like Overwatch Marvel Rivals ships tomorrow. Much like Light of Motiram (a clear copy of HZD) out of China. I mean, even the character name - Widowmaker in OW vs. Black Widow in Marvel Rivals, lol. NetEase/TenCent - all the same."

There's no question that Overwatch inspired Marvel Rivals in various aspects, including its characters; however, plenty of differences make Rivals stand out as a top competitor to Overwatch 2. Other notable games that have drawn inspiration from Overwatch include Valorant, Paladins, and the recently canceled Concord; however, Ybarra's comment has clearly hit a nerve with Marvel Rivals fans.

For context, Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow first debuted in Marvel Comics' Tales of Suspense #52 (1964), so the character's association with the Black Widow moniker dates back 60 years, a point many players had made in the comments section to Ybarra's post. Additionally, Black Widow has been depicted in Marvel Comics as having well-versed knowledge and expertise with various weaponry, including a sniper rifle, despite her rarely using the weapon, which was the main design element for the character model and combat kit in Rivals.

In light of these differences between Overwatch's Widowmaker and Marvel Rivals' Black Widow, players couldn't help but poke fun at the ridiculous hot take from Ybarra. One Twitter user commented that Rivals' release "will be good for Blizzard to have real competitors in their space," adding that this "pressure of losing players will force them to raise their standards," which is a reasonably good (and healthy) statement.

Another Twitter user commented that Rivals' character development is better explored as they're "more in-depth, more layered and well-designed" than Overwatch's character roster, just as another comment explained how every character's abilities in Rivals are more in line with their comic book depictions, adding that his comments are "a weird thing to say."

Recently, the developer outlined their Monetization model, which received plenty of positive praise from players; an aspect one comment mentions given Overwatch has been the subject of predatory microtransactions and received much negative criticism from its players.

The comparisons and debate on Marvel Rivals and Overwatch's similarity will no doubt continue to rumble on amongst players following Rivals release this Friday. For now though, Marvel Rivals looks to provide healthy competition in a space dominated by Blizzard's hero shooter for quite a number of years.