Marvel Rivals Season 1 Update Disables Mods

Summary

• Season 1 of Marvel Rivals has reportedly disabled custom-made mods.
• NetEase, the game developer, has consistently stated that mod usage violates the game's terms of service.
• This ban likely aims to protect Marvel Rivals' revenue generated from in-game purchases.

The recent Season 1 update for Marvel Rivals has seemingly rendered custom-made mods unusable. While creating and using personalized character skins was a popular pastime among players, this functionality appears to have been removed with the Season 1 launch.

Following a highly successful and profitable launch in early December, Marvel Rivals released its Season 1 content on January 10, 2025. This update introduced The Fantastic Four as playable characters (Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman are currently available, with the Thing and Human Torch expected later in February), a new Battle Pass, fresh maps, and a new game mode, Doom Match.

However, a significant, unannounced change is the apparent disabling of player-created mods. Players have discovered their custom skins are no longer functional. NetEase Games has consistently warned against mod usage, citing violations of the game's terms of service, even for cosmetic modifications, and threatened bans. The Season 1 update seems to have preemptively addressed this through the implementation of hash checking, a verification process ensuring data authenticity.

Marvel Rivals Eliminates Mod Use

This widespread crackdown on mods isn't entirely surprising to the Marvel Rivals community. NetEase's clear stance in its terms of service, coupled with previous actions against specific mods (such as a banned Donald Trump mod replacing Captain America's head), foreshadowed this move. Nevertheless, the impact on players who enjoyed customizable content is significant, with some creators expressing their disappointment on platforms like Twitter regarding unreleased mods now lost forever.

While some mods contained provocative content, including nude character skins, which drew player complaints, the decision to ban mods is likely also driven by business considerations. As a free-to-play game, Marvel Rivals relies heavily on in-game purchases, primarily character bundles offering new skins and cosmetics. The availability of free, custom cosmetic mods could severely undermine the game's profitability.