Marvel Rivals Season 1 Update Cracks Down on Mods
The Season 1 update for Marvel Rivals has reportedly disabled custom-made mods, a popular pastime among players since the game's launch. While not explicitly announced, this change prevents players from using modified character skins and other cosmetic alterations.
Launched on January 10, 2025, following a successful debut, Season 1 introduces the Fantastic Four as playable characters (Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman initially, with the Thing and Human Torch to follow), a new Battle Pass, maps, and a Doom Match mode. However, the unintended consequence for many is the sudden inoperability of their mods.
NetEase Games, the developer, has consistently stated that mod usage violates the game's terms of service, even for cosmetic modifications, and previously issued bans for offenders. The Season 1 update appears to have preemptively addressed this through the implementation of hash checking, a technique verifying data authenticity.
This widespread mod ban isn't entirely surprising. NetEase has previously acted against specific mods, including one featuring Donald Trump's likeness replacing Captain America's. While some players mourn the loss of customizable content, and creators lament unreleased work, the move is arguably a business necessity.
Marvel Rivals is a free-to-play game reliant on in-game purchases of character bundles containing skins, sprays, and other cosmetics. The availability of free, custom cosmetic mods could severely impact the game's profitability. Therefore, eliminating mod usage, despite some controversial content among existing mods (including nude skins), protects the game's monetization strategy.
