Marvel Rivals Issues Apology for Unfair Bans; Players Advocate for Rank-Inclusive Character Bans
NetEase, the developer of Marvel Rivals, recently issued a public apology for mistakenly banning a significant number of innocent players. The mass ban, intended to target cheaters, inadvertently flagged numerous non-Windows users employing compatibility layers like those used on macOS, Linux, and Steam Deck.
The erroneous bans, implemented on January 3rd, were swiftly reversed after NetEase identified the root cause. The company apologized for the inconvenience and urged players to report genuine cheating instances while providing avenues for appeal against wrongful bans. This incident highlights the challenges posed by anti-cheat systems interacting with compatibility layers, particularly Proton on SteamOS, which has a history of triggering false positives.
Separately, a community debate has emerged regarding the implementation of character bans. Currently, this feature—allowing players to remove specific characters from selection—is only available at Diamond rank and above. This limitation has sparked frustration among lower-ranked players who feel disadvantaged by the lack of strategic depth and counterplay options.
Reddit discussions reveal widespread support for extending character bans to all ranks. Players argue that this would not only foster a more balanced competitive environment but also serve as a valuable learning tool for newer players, promoting diverse team compositions beyond simple DPS strategies. While NetEase hasn't yet responded to this feedback, the community's call for a rank-inclusive character ban system remains strong.
