Marvel Rivals' Hawkeye Strikes Back At Enemies In New Imperial Protocol Cosmetic Skin

This past week, developer NetEase Games announced their next playable character following weeks of teases, unveiling Clint Barton / Hawkeye as the newest member of the growing roster. Like previously announced heroes, including Steve Rogers / Captain America, Bucky Barnes / The Winter Soldier, Psylocke, and Moon Knight, Hawkeye will be unlocked and free-to-play (F2P) to all players joining the game at launch.

Just days following the character reveal, the developer spotlighted the "Unmatched Sharpshooter" as part of their Global Countdown to its launch for consoles and PCs on 6th December 2024. This saw Hawkeye at the center of the latest daily news announcement, in which players gained their first look at the new series of cosmetic skins, the Imperial Protocol, which the character is one of the first few characters to receive a skin from this series.

The official Marvel Rivals social media accounts continue to attract much attention ahead of the global launch of Marvel Rivals this December. Much of the excitement stemmed from the recent character announcements, new map reveals, and cosmetic skins for every playable character available at launch, including Hawkeye.

Hawkeye becomes one of the first few characters in-game to receive an Imperial Protocol, which an IGN interview revealed Black Panther, Captain America, and Mantis will also receive skins from this series, which was revealed online. At launch, Hawkeye mains will want to acquire the Galactic Fangs skin for the aforementioned character, which becomes available during Season 0, Doom's Rise, as part of the season's ongoing narrative.

According to Marvel Rivals' narrative designer Jinghua in the IGN interview, the Imperial Protocol cosmetic skin series is the "seasonal story skins for Season 0," which have been designed around the concept of "Afrofuturism" that "combines the ancient tribal elements of Africa with futuristic, intergalactic technology." As it was confirmed that the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda will be the new location added to Marvel Rivals at launch, characters central to Season 0's story will all receive a themed skin which the same interview confirms that Rocket Raccoon, Groot, and Star-Lord will also be receiving an Imperial Protocol cosmetic skin which details on how to get them will be announced closer to launch.