Update at 6 p.m: Netease apologized for “inappropriate and misleading terms” in its content creator contract.
In a statement posted on Discord shortly after the contract started making headlines, the Marvel Rivals content creation team said it “sincerely apologizes” for the “miscommunication and your unpleasant experiences.”
“We are aware that there are inappropriate and misleading terms in the engagement regarding content sharing without disparagement,” the full statement said. “We sincerely apologize [sic] for the misunderstanding and your unpleasant experiences!
“Our booth is absolutely open to both suggestions and criticism to improve our game. And we [sic] our mission is to make Marvel Rivals more satisfying to players through these constructive suggestions.
“We are now working on revising the misunderstanding terms of our engagement,” he continues. “Progress will be shared with each creator in due course. Marvel Rivals always welcomes creators to join our community and create amazing content alongside us. Content creators are respected not only as a player but also as part of the community here. Speaking of which, a proposal form for the Content Creator Program is about to be released in the [Discord] which are open to any opinions. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!”
At the time of writing, it’s unclear whether previously signed contracts are already void, but NetEase says that “all terms will only be activated when both parties have discussed and agreed” to the terms.
In a press statement, NetEase said, “The contract is a draft aimed at long-term cooperation with creators interested in Marvel Rivals. The development team hopes to have more meaningful and consistent feedback, suggestions and criticism. through deeper cooperation.”
The original story follows.
Original story, 1.50pm BST: Players and content creators have hit back at Marvel Rivals over a playtesting services contract that prohibits players from making “statements that harm the reputation of the game.”
As shared by former professional esports player and Twitch streamer Brandon “A_Seagull” Larned, the contract “signs away your right to negatively rate the game.”
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In section 2.1 of the agreement – subheading “Non-disparagement” – content creators must “agree not to make public statements or engage in discussions that are harmful to the game’s reputation.”
This “includes but is not limited to,” “making disparaging or satirical comments about any game-related material, such as game features, characters, or music,” and “engaging in malicious comparisons with competitors or disparaging the game or differences of Marvel Rivals or providing subjective negative feedback about the game’.
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As Larned notes, “a lot of streamers have signed on [the contract] without reading just to play”.
Interestingly, an FAQ posted on the game’s Discord community says that “there are no NDAs for our closed alpha test” and players are “encouraged to share their experiences and all types of content on all platforms.”
Several players have also shared concerns about the terms of service on the official Discord server, but their queries have yet to be answered.
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Others on Twitter/X claim that the developers have agreed to “revise” the contract, but it appears they haven’t yet.
At the time of writing, the hero team-based PvP shooter – which is published by NetEase Games – has yet to publicly comment on the matter. We’ve reached out to NetEase and will update if and when we learn more.
Marvel Rivals is an upcoming free-to-play, team-based PVP shooter for PC backed by Chinese publishing giant NetEase.
Described as an “exciting, fast-paced, cooperative gameplay experience,” Marvel Rivals will pit teams of six against each other as they battle in a variety of destructible environments with characters from across the Marvel Universe. This includes the likes of Iron Man, Groot, Scarlet Witch and more.
