Marvel Rivals could see Loot Boxes in upcoming Season

Marvel Rivals, NetEase’s hero shooter that blasted onto the free-to-play PvP scene in December, 2024, is preparing for its new Season 4 update on the 12th of this month. The update brings a new hero, a new map & new character synergies. Alongside this anticipation, a recent Datamine has revealed what could be a Loot Box system coming to Marvel Rivals sometime soon. Whether in Season 4, 4.5 or beyond- what’s certain is something Mysterious.

Datamine brings new info on ‘Mysteries’

On X (formerly Twitter), a well known Marvel Rivals news account named RivalsInfo suggested that NetEase could be planning on adding boxes to the game. According to their post, the upcoming update contains references to “Mysteries” as something the player has tied to their account. “Mysteries” are the code-name for loot boxes, which was confirmed through an older loot box which used similar nomenclature like “cosmic mysteries number”. Further implications of this loot box system are names like “BOX_OPEN_HISTORY_CHANGE”.

According to RivalsInfo, the image above is from an earlier version of the game. The date in the screenshot reads before the release of the game, showcasing the old Loot Box system logic that was present.

Reward or Gambling?

The question everyone will be wondering is: if this was confirmed would it present itself as a reward system for playing the game / completing missions- or would it be a premium?

If players are given crates for game time or missions, then the Loot Boxes are a reward. If players have to pay a premium currency to obtain them- and there was no alternative to earning them – then we’re looking at a fairly typical free-to-play Loot Box system. If they added new skins, accessories, nameplates & titles which were only obtainable through Loot Boxes; we’re looking at gambling.

Nations across the globe have different legalities surrounding Loot Boxes, and players have equally different opinions on them too.