Marvel Rivals has unveiled its extensive strategies for revenue generation, and the specifics of its battle pass have completely alleviated concerns about frugal microtransactions.
NetEase published Developer Diary 7 – Monetization on the official Marvel Rivals website, which outlines what players can expect regarding exciting elements such as microtransactions and battle passes. Fortunately, in this instance, I can genuinely say “exciting” without irony, as it all appears very good and appealing.
The most significant takeaway is that the Marvel Rivals battle pass may not expire at the end of seasons, allowing players to relax without worrying about completing every requirement and earning maximum rewards before time runs out.
This fear-of-missing-out aspect of battle passes has been a major pain point in the live-service genre, and Marvel Rivals has effectively solved the entire issue with this one change from the traditional model—even though it’s worth noting that it’s not the first game to do so, as Helldivers 2 serves as a recent example.
NetEase also confirmed that “we will charge for cosmetics that will offer purely visual alterations, with no stat advantages or pay-to-win features.” All maps and heroes will be freely accessible to all players at the same time.
The two currencies in Marvel Rivals are Lattice, the premium currency that can also be purchased with real money, and Tokens, which you earn simply by playing the game. Notably, Tokens can also be exchanged for Lattice at a 1:1 ratio, meaning that real-world currency isn’t the only way to acquire Marvel Rivals’ premium currency.
At this point, you might be wondering just how much your real money can buy when it comes to premium currency, and it turns out, quite a bit! One dollar will procure you 100 Lattice, and the premium Luxurious Battle Pass costs 490 Lattice. So, just under $5 for the premium battle pass, which isn’t bad at all. There will also be free battle passes that will include “one epic-quality skin and a variety of additional items.”
Bundles will typically include a skin, an MVP animation, emote, spray, and title