Overwatchwas far from the first hero shooter, withTeam Fortress 2beating it to the punch by almost a decade, and class-based shooters likeBattlefieldpredatingTF2by at least a few years. ButOverwatchwas still a trailblazer, with it propelling the hero shooter genre into the mainstream and spawning an onslaught of clones in its wake. But not every hero shooter since 2016 can be cast aside as a mereOverwatchcopycat.Marvel Rivalsis one of the best examples of that.
Released back in December of last year,Marvel Rivalscertainly borrows a few general gameplay concepts fromOverwatch, and it might even take a bit too much inspiration when it comes to some of its hero abilities. But it still stands tall on its own, bringing plenty of novel features to the hero shooter genre.
That said,Marvel Rivalsdoes follow more closely inOverwatch’s footsteps from time to time. One recent leak suggests thatMarvel Rivalsis adopting a similar Endorsement system toOverwatch 2’s. ButOverwatch’s approach to endorsements is far from perfect, and that givesMarvel Rivalsplenty of room to make the feature its own.
Marvel Rivals' Endorsement Leaks Explained
A few days ago, leaker @RivalsPsylocke took to Twitter to claim that they had found an unused “Credit” system inMarvel Rivals' files. Based on the image attached to the Tweet, it seems these Credits would act similarly toOverwatch 2’s Endorsement system, with players earning a specific rank based on their in-game behavior. Six ranks were present in the leak, beginning at Dishonorable and going up to Questionable, Reliable, Honorable, Distinguished, and finally, Irreproachable. Each rank would reportedly change the color of the player’s nameplate.
This Credit system has allegedly been inMarvel Rivals' filessince launch, though it hasn’t been activated. There’s no official word on ifMarvel Rivalswill add this Credit system in the future.
How Marvel Rivals Can Make Its Leaked Endorsement System Stand Out From Overwatch 2’s
An Even More Rewarding Endorsement System
IfMarvel Rivalsdoes end up releasing its own type of Endorsement system later down the line, it should go above and beyond to separate it fromOverwatch 2’s. One great way to do this is by offering some more juicy rewards, both for those who receive endorsements, and those who give them out. InOverwatch 2, players who receive endorsements consistently gain new endorsement levels, up to a maximum of five. Players gainfree Battle Pass XPfor receiving endorsements, and the higher their endorsement level, the better these XP rewards are.
That said, there’s currently no reward incentive for players to actually endorse others. At the very least, a potential similar system inMarvel Rivalsshould reward all players who take part with some Battle Pass XP. And ifMarvel Rivalswanted to really outshine its competition, it could give players new cosmetics based on their endorsement level, incentivizing players to keep in everyone’s good books for the long term.
The firstOverwatch’s Endorsement system used to reward players with loot boxes.
More Distinct Endorsements
Another way in whichMarvel Rivals' leaked Endorsement systemcould stand out fromOverwatch’s is by offering several medals that mean distinct things. For instance, the firstOverwatchhad individual “Shot Caller,” “Good Teammate,” and “Sportsmanship” medals that could be dished out at the end of a match.Marvel Rivalscould deliver its own spin on this multi-medal system, perhaps even including a specific endorsement to give to one player on the enemy team to encourage positive competition.
