“Why Shock Rivals’ Ban on Custom Skin Mods is a Game-Changer in Live Service Gaming”

Publisher NetEase Games has somehow prohibited custom skin modifications in Marvel Rivals. One developer, who has experience with “numerous live service games,” has elaborated on why this trend affects many multiplayer titles.

Recently, Marvel Rivals launched its inaugural season, incorporating a few Fantastic Four characters and achieving record player numbers in the process. However, the launch of Season One also brought about a prohibition on the unofficial skins created by players. These included various anime skins and popular creations like the skins of Donald Trump and Joe Biden, which caused quite a stir last week, among others. With several online games following a similar path, developer Del Walker decided to share his insights on the reasons behind this trend, drawing from his experiences at Rocksteady, Sega, and more.

“After working on various live service titles, here are the reasons I was informed why mods unfortunately need to be restricted,” Walker recently tweeted, outlining eight potential reasons. Exploits are one factor. “Certain mods may make an enemy more visible… or make you tougher to spot,” even in a game like Marvel Rivals, where custom skins only conceal the player using them; making oneself invisible could theoretically afford a better line of sight than one’s competitors.

Additional reasons could include server strain since mods are not “optimized” and can often create “some strange situations” that the developers had not anticipated; NSFW mods or politically charged mods could harm the brand’s image; and legal concerns as “many mods violate copyrighted designs or assets.” There is also the concern that modders might create custom skins that the developers planned to introduce in a future battle pass or store update, and “studios aren’t willing to let anyone interfere with their earnings.”

Official Marvel Rivals statistics reveal that Mantis leads, Magik is an underdog favorite, everyone appreciates Jeff even if he’s not the best, and Black Widow is struggling.