Marvel Rivals has started screening your in-game voice chat for moderation purposes to make 'the game a better place for everyone'

Marvel Rivals Ultron release date abilities: A close up shot of Ultron with a menacing expression as hordes of robots appear behind him.

(Image credit: NetEase)

While I'm not sure about DC's historically funny insistence on what Batman does and doesn't do in the bedroom, one thing's for certain—superheroes like the ones in Marvel Rivals don't typically say slurs and chew you out for your K/DA.

Alright, Frank Castle might look like he's levelled some slightly harmful terms at my community in the past, but on the whole, screaming at strangers over a crusty mic isn't something Captain America'd do. Maybe Jeff's got a potty mouth and has been double-barrel firing some expletives below all those adorable gargles. Okay, and Magneto might have some spicy terms for non-mutants—look, I'm getting distracted.

"This means we'll catch more toxic behaviour," explains creative director Guangyun Chen (Guangguang), "and players using inappropriate language will be penalised—making the game a better place for everyone."

As to what "inappropriate language" means, I'm sure that'll be revealed in time, but I'll be surprised if NetEase starts cracking down on a few curses, given most auto-screeners listen out for tone of voice and context more than the swears themselves. As for privacy concerns, this sort of auto-screening using AI is pretty commonplace in modern games: Call of Duty's been doing it since 2023, for example.

Look—I'll be the first to get hand-wringy over privacy. I'm not exactly a fan of our UK government's insistence that you need to shove your face in front of a third-party company just to look at adult content (or, in some cases, just content) online.

NetEase will also be implementing a custom word filter, which is also a sensible addition. I don't like having profanity filters on in games, since I'm all grown up and swear-words don't upset me—but I'd like to be able to blot out the randoms hurling slurs around just to get a rise out of strangers. Not because I'm clutching my pearls, or anything.

NetEase has been monitoring chat this way since July 24, but the custom word filter is yet to make it to the main game—instead, it'll be coming with Marvel Rivals season 3.5.

Secretlab Titan Evo gaming chair in Royal colouring, on a white background

Best gaming chair 2025

👉Check out our full guide👈

1. Best overall: Secretlab Titan Evo

2. Best budget: Corsair TC100 Relaxed

3. Best luxury: Herman Miller Embody

4. Best support: ThunderX3 Core

5. Best big boi: AndaSeat Kaiser 4 XL

6. Best office: Neuechair

7. Best budget office: ThunderX3 Flex Pro

Harvey's history with games started when he first begged his parents for a World of Warcraft subscription aged 12, though he's since been cursed with Final Fantasy 14-brain and a huge crush on G'raha Tia. He made his start as a freelancer, writing for websites like Techradar, The Escapist, Dicebreaker, The Gamer, Into the Spine—and of course, PC Gamer. He'll sink his teeth into anything that looks interesting, though he has a soft spot for RPGs, soulslikes, roguelikes, deckbuilders, MMOs, and weird indie titles. He also plays a shelf load of TTRPGs in his offline time. Don't ask him what his favourite system is, he has too many.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.