Marvel Rivals celebrates one year: How has its esports scene changed?

Marvel Rivals is commemorating one year since its closed Alpha by offering players Galacta’s Gift, an event with unlockable free rewards, and the return of the Season 0 battle pass.

As the developers reflect on the progress of the game since May last year, we look back on how the Marvel Rivals esports scene has grown up to Season 2: Hellfire Gala, scaling from a small community to a global ecosystem.

In hindsight, the Marvel Rivals esports scene had a slow start despite the booming popularity that came with the game’s initial release.

Season 0: Dooms’ Rise marks the beginning of the Marvel Rivals Championships, the first of a seasonal in-game tournament series. There were few established esports teams back then, as organisations scouted out the best players and teams from this series, and doubts on whether the game would last or fall off fast.

Take the North America PC division, for instance, which was won by a faction called Mutants — the very same team that would go on to be signed by 100 Thieves.

It wouldn’t be until several months after launch that the Marvel Rivals esports scene started to gain traction, and when Esports Insider itself would begin covering the scene with its first articles related to the game.

It was only until Season 1: Eternal Night Falls that the Marvel Rivals esports scene started to find its footing. It was around this time that we saw prominent esports organisations finally take centre stage as they signed promising squads.

In Europe, organisations such as Virtus.pro would make their debut with their first rosters. For some organisations, their rosters remain mostly the same to this day, whilst others have seen various departures over the past couple of months.

In North America, teams such as Sentinels entered the game’s competitive ecosystem. It also saw former pro and popular streamer Michael ‘Shroud’ Grzesiek make his long-anticipated return to the esports scene, not as a player but as the owner of a team, Shroud X.

Streamers, influencers and content creators also wanted a piece of the growing action. Esports organisation owner and creator Jeremy ‘Disguised Toast’ Wang held one of the first creator events in partnership with NetEase called the Creators Cup.

It also saw the beginnings of Rivals Fight Night, a weekly tournament that has now become a small staple for those wanting to follow the progress of their favourite teams.

It was around this time that the Invitationals started gaining a lot of attention, especially since it was offering its highest prize pool so far at $100,000 per region. 100 Thieves won in NA and Virtus.pro won EMEA, establishing themselves among the best teams in their regions.

As Season 2: Hellfire Gala kicked off, so too did NetEase fulfill its promises to expand the game’s esports scene. More events and tournaments would be held within each season, such as the monthly PlayStation Cups.

There are more esports events lined up for Season 2, including the upcoming Championships, alongside more limited-time events such as the second round of the Giant-Sized Brain Blast mode.

The demand for a Marvel Rivals esports scene became so high that it eventually culminated in NetEase announcing Marvel Rivals Ignite. It’s the biggest tournament by far, featuring winners of the Invitationals and Championships, all playing for a total prize pool of $3 million.