Marvel Rivals Reverses Controversial Cheating Ban

Marvel Rivals Issues Apology for Unfair Bans; Players Advocate for Expanded Character Ban System

NetEase, the developer of Marvel Rivals, recently issued a public apology for mistakenly banning a significant number of innocent players. The mass ban, intended to target cheaters, inadvertently flagged numerous non-Windows users employing compatibility layers like those used on macOS, Linux, and the Steam Deck.

The erroneous bans, implemented on January 3rd, affected players utilizing compatibility software to run the game on non-Windows systems. NetEase acknowledged the error, stating that they had identified the cause and reinstated the affected accounts. They encouraged players to report genuine cheating incidents and offered an appeal process for those wrongfully banned.

This incident highlights the challenges of implementing effective anti-cheat measures, particularly when dealing with compatibility layers like Proton (used by SteamOS), known for triggering some anti-cheat systems.

Separately, a significant portion of the Marvel Rivals community is advocating for a broader implementation of the in-game character ban system. Currently, this feature—allowing players to remove specific characters from selection—is only available in Diamond rank and above.

Players, particularly those in lower ranks, express frustration at the lack of character bans, citing unfair matchups and limited strategic options. They argue that expanding the ban system to all ranks would enhance gameplay balance, introduce newer players to the mechanic, and encourage more diverse team compositions beyond simple DPS-focused strategies. While NetEase hasn't yet responded to this feedback, the player demand for a change remains strong.