Marvel Rivals Apologizes for Banning Non-Cheaters

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 numerous innocent players. The mass ban, intended to target cheaters, incorrectly flagged a significant number of non-Windows users.

The affected players primarily used compatibility layers like those for macOS, Linux, and Steam Deck. NetEase's anti-cheat system apparently misidentified these compatibility layers as cheating software. The developer confirmed the issue, lifted the bans, and apologized for the inconvenience. They encouraged players to report genuine cheating and provided avenues for appealing wrongful bans.

This incident highlights a recurring problem with Proton, the SteamOS compatibility layer, which frequently triggers anti-cheat mechanisms.

Separately, a significant portion of the Marvel Rivals community is advocating for the expansion of the in-game character ban system. Currently, this feature, allowing players to remove specific characters from selection, is only available at Diamond rank and above.

Players argue that extending character bans to all ranks would improve gameplay balance, enhance strategic depth, and provide valuable learning opportunities for lower-ranked players. The lack of bans at lower ranks creates frustrating imbalances, as expressed by several players on the game's subreddit. NetEase has yet to publicly address this ongoing player concern.