Loot boxes could be coming to Marvel Rivals as a dataminer finds evidence of 'multiple references to mystery box logic', and like always, players are divided

Word on the street is that Marvel Rivals has plans for loot boxes after a dataminer uncovered evidence of mystery box logic while trawling Season 4's files. There's no official confirmation yet, but the speculation is enough to divide players.

"Loot boxes could be coming to Marvel Rivals at some point in the future," RivalsInfo says in an X post. "In Season 4, logic for the 'Mysteries' player component was reintroduced. 'Mysteries' is the codename for loot boxes. Within this component, there are multiple references to mystery box logic, such as 'cosmic mysteries number' and 'BOX_OPEN_HISTORY_CHANGE', which further confirms that it relates to the old loot box system. The image below shows what it might have looked like when the logic was still in the game."

The general reaction seems to be divided into three camps. Those who are happy to have loot boxes in Marvel Rivals say, "GAMBLING IN MARVEL RIVALS WE ARE ALL HAPPY." Those who don't care if it's free, "but if it's paid, I'll be upset", and those who can't suppress the urge to yell about how Overwatch did it first—there's a lot of the latter.

I can't even feign surprise at this point—it really was only a matter of time before Marvel Rivals decided to adopt loot boxes. Not even because that's what Overwatch 2 has, but because it can be a good idea for community engagement, if it's done right.

If Marvel Rival's loot boxes are free and earnable through the battle pass or by completing challenges, then that's fine. But what I don't want to see is a system similar to Overwatch 1, where players could purchase bundles of loot boxes. Not only would it be pretty scummy, seeing as they could be free, but NetEase also has a moral obligation to its younger players not to package gambling in shiny golden boxes, especially considering the age rating for Marvel Rivals is PEGI 12.

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Loot boxes could be a dangerous tightrope to walk if NetEase doesn't play it safe and only provide free earnable boxes, but I also don't know if that would make financial sense. Almost all of the costumes and cosmetics in the game so far are shop purchases, with only four seasons' worth of battle pass items and a few events to make use of in free loot boxes.

There could be entirely separate cosmetics tucked away waiting for loot boxes, but otherwise, I'm not sure how NetEase could justify packing free loot boxes with paid cosmetics.

But all of this is just in theory—there's no solid confirmation that Marvel Rivals is even seriously entertaining the idea of loot boxes, and while it seems like an obvious next step, I have no issue with NetEase taking its time with this one to ensure it's implemented properly later on.