Summary
- NetEase Games warns Marvel Rivals players that modding violates terms of service and risks permanent account bans.
- Season 1 introduced anti-modding measures, but workarounds were quickly discovered.
- It remains unclear whether NetEase Games has issued any bans for modding yet.
NetEase Games, developer and publisher of the popular team shooter Marvel Rivals, has issued a strong warning: players who continue to modify the game risk permanent bans. The company reiterated that any modifications, from cosmetic changes to performance-enhancing add-ons, are against the game's terms of service.
This announcement follows the launch of Marvel Rivals Season 1, which included hero balance adjustments and added Invisible Woman and Mister Fantastic to the playable roster. (Human Torch and The Thing are slated for future updates.) Since its December 2024 launch, Marvel Rivals has been a critical and commercial success, even earning a nomination for Online Game of the Year at the upcoming DICE Awards 2025 (February 13th, Las Vegas).
Despite attempts in Season 1 to prevent modding by checking game asset hashes, workarounds have emerged. As reported by IGN, a Nexus Mods add-on circumvents these checks. The mod's creator, Prafit, explicitly warns users of the ban risk and recommends it only for high-end PCs. Furthermore, a mod transforming Mister Fantastic into One Piece's Luffy, created by Ercuallo and shared by RivalsLeaks on Twitter, highlights the ongoing modding activity.
Marvel Rivals Warns Users to Stop Modding or Risk Bans
While NetEase Games hasn't publicly confirmed any bans for modding, the company has clearly stated that modifications, cheats, and hacks are prohibited. Although some mods, including one featuring US President-elect Donald Trump, have been removed from Nexus Mods, Prafit's workaround remains available, boasting over 500 downloads at the time of writing.
Marvel Rivals has experienced issues with false bans since launch, but the consequences of violating the terms of service are now explicitly clear. The future response from NetEase Games to the persistent modding remains to be seen.