Marvel Rivals' Character Popularity and Mod Controversy: A Data Dive
Official website data reveals interesting character popularity trends in Marvel Rivals. In "quick play," Jeff reigns supreme, outpacing Venom and Cloak & Dagger. However, the competitive landscape shifts dramatically. On PC, Luna Snow, Cloak & Dagger, and Mantis dominate, while on consoles, Cloak & Dagger, Penny Parker, and Mantis take the lead.
A surprising twist: Mantis, despite leading the popularity charts in competitive mode, also boasts the highest defeat rate. She outperforms Hela, Loki, and Magic on both PC and consoles. Consoles show a broader success story, with 14 additional characters achieving win rates exceeding 50%.
Conversely, unpopular characters include Storm, Black Widow, and Wolverine in "quick play," while Nemore occupies that position in competitive modes.
The game's recent surge in popularity, marked by over 500 mod uploads in a single month, has unfortunately sparked controversy. Nexus Mods' removal of modifications replacing Captain America's head with images of Donald Trump and Joe Biden ignited a firestorm of user reaction.
Nexus Mods owner, TheDarkOne, addressed the situation in a private Reddit discussion. He clarified that the removal of both Trump and Biden-related mods was a simultaneous action, intended to avoid accusations of political bias. This preventative measure aimed to maintain neutrality.
Curiously, YouTube gaming channels have remained largely silent on this matter.
