Marvel Rivals Accidentally Bans Non-Cheaters

In a recent incident, Marvel Rivals' developers, NetEase, mistakenly banned a significant number of innocent players in their efforts to eliminate cheaters from the game. Here's a detailed look at what transpired and the reasons behind these wrongful bans.

SteamDeck, Mac, And Linux Users Report Bans

On January 3rd, early in the morning, NetEase's community manager, James, took to the official Marvel Rivals Discord server to announce that "some individuals playing in compatibility layer programs have been mistakenly flagged as cheaters, even without using any cheating software." In their aggressive campaign to ban cheaters, NetEase inadvertently targeted non-Windows users, including those on Mac, Linux, and the Steam Deck, who were using compatibility layer software.

The issue has since been resolved, with the bans lifted for the affected players. "We have identified the specific reasons behind these false bans and have compiled a list of affected players. We have lifted these bans and want to express our heartfelt apologies for the inconvenience this has caused," stated NetEase. They also encouraged players to report any actual cheating behavior and assured that those wrongfully banned could appeal to the customer support team either in-game or via Discord.

Notably, this isn't the first time SteamOS users have faced such issues, as their compatibility layer, Proton, has a history of triggering certain anti-cheat systems.

In-Game Character Bans Should Be For All

In other news, competitive Marvel Rivals players are advocating for a different type of ban within the game—character bans. This feature allows teams to exclude specific characters from selection, preventing unfavorable matchups and encouraging strategic diversity. Currently, this feature is only available to players at Diamond rank and above, leading to frustration among lower-ranked players.

On the game's subreddit, user Expert_Recover_7050 expressed their frustration: "Over and over again. Can't ban it, can't beat it. Yeah, I know YOU on your 17th alt 'bronze to grandmaster challenge' for your next YouTube video can beat plat players in this comp, but me, as a DESERVINGLY SO plat player, can not beat other plat players when they have such disgusting advantages. Why can diamond+ players have fun in the game but we can't?"

Many high-ranking players echo this sentiment, arguing that character bans should be available to all ranks. They believe this would not only help newer players understand the mechanics but also allow for more balanced and varied team compositions. "Bans are soft balancing that makes the game tolerable," another Reddit user commented.

As of now, NetEase has not responded to these complaints, but the community eagerly awaits their reaction.