Marvel Rivals crosses 20 million players as NetEase readies winter celebration event

The free-to-play gaming space has a new giant and it's showing no signs of stopping its advance. Marvel Rivals landed to the masses less than two weeks ago, and already, it has gathered over 20 million players. There is a special spray celebrating the new milestone available in-game now too, available to anyone who logs in until January 10, 2025.

No information on the platform split for the massive number of players has been shared yet, unfortunately. The title is currently available on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.

The NetEase-developed Marvel Rivals broke through the 10 million player milestone 72 hours after launch. The developer somehow even managed to keep its servers up and running as millions hit its hero shooter experience. There is some bad news for those looking forward for role queue to hit the chaotic title though.

The announcement arrives just as the developer readies the game's first content update ahead of Season 1. Dubbed the 'Winter Celebration, Joyful Jubilation' the event is landing on December 20.

This carries a brand-new 4v4 game mode that has every player taking the role of Jeff the Land Shark. In the arcade mode, instead of fighting each other, players will be covering the level with the color of their own team before the timer runs out similar to Splatoon,.

The Cuddly Fuzzlefin skin will also be unlocked for all players that login during the event's festivities, with further unlocks like sprays and nameplates being available by completing challenges. It won't be all free stuff though. Four event exclusive winter-themed skins will be available for purchase for Groot, Rocket Raccoon, Venom, and Magik as well.

Following the winter event's conclusion, NetEase plans to launch the first seasonal content update for Marvel Rivals in January, 2025.