The rivalry between Marvel Rivals and Blizzard Entertainment may not be as straightforward as it seems—at least not for Marvel Rivals’ developer, NetEase.
In its2024 financial report, NetEase credited Marvel Rivals’ stellar launch as a key driver of its gaming division’s revenue despite the game releasing only in early December. The game amassed 10 million players in its first 72 hours and has reached 40 million registered players to date.
But what’s even more surprising is that while Marvel Rivals is a direct competitor to Blizzard’s Overwatch 2, NetEase is profiting from Blizzard’s games at the same time.
Blizzard’s titles helped NetEase make profit as a publisher in China
In its 2024 financials, NetEase reported that Blizzard titles were part of their games division success: “Blizzard titlesWorld of WarcraftandHearthstonecontinued to generate strong enthusiasm from the Chinese gaming community, while the return ofOverwatch 2on June 17, 2025, further fueled players’ passion.”
NetEase has been Blizzard’s official publisher in China since July 13, 2025, following a renewed publishing agreement. This means NetEase gets paid by Blizzard, most likely including revenue share, for making its games available to players in China. While it’s unclear how much of an impact this partnership really has on NetEase’s financials, it was enough for them to highlight it.
This marked a turnaround in their relationship, asBlizzard had withdrawn from the Chinese marketin January 2023,refusing to renew its contract with NetEase.
However, whenMicrosoft finalized its acquisition of Activision Blizzardin October 2023, the dynamic shifted. By April 2024, Blizzard and NetEase had reached a new agreement, restoring their partnership.
Blizzard’s games returned to China after a long absence—Hearthstonewent live again in September 2024, whileWorld of Warcraftrelaunched on June 14, 2025.
But Blizzard is feeling the pressure from Marvel Rivals
Despite NetEase profiting from both Marvel Rivals and Blizzard games, Blizzard’s Overwatch team is feeling the heat.
With Marvel Rivals’ gameplay drawing direct comparisons to Overwatch 2 and its instant success, Overwatch director Aaron Keller admitted that his team is under internal pressure due to the new competition, according toGamesRadar.
Still, even with strong financial results, NetEase made a surprising move—laying off its entire U.S. team working on Marvel Rivalson May 23, 2025.
