Marvel Rivals head says “no discussions” are underway for mobile port

With new heroes like Captain America and the Winter Soldier on the way, getting our fill of superhero action on-the-go with a Marvel Rivals mobile or Nintendo Switch port would be awesome. But is developer NetEase Entertainment even considering bringing the multiplayer shooter to handheld players? During my Gamescom exclusive preview of the game’s new content, I asked game director Thaddeus Sasser about Marvel Rivals’ future on the small screen.

If you’re yet to play Marvel Rivals yet, then you may not know that game’s recent beta test builds have only been available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. With the release set firmly set for December 6, 2024, I express to Sasser that “given the game’s huge popularity already, has there been any talk of bringing a Marvel Rivals mobile or Switch version to players in the future?” While Sasser is exceptionally pleased to see the game’s positive reception with console players, he tells me that “there are no discussions [happening]” right now to make a handheld port.

It’s undoubtedly a disappointing answer, as it’d easily rise to the top of the best Marvel games on iOS, Android, and Switch if it did get a handheld makeover. Yet, the reasoning behind this decision is actually quite simple. Marvel Rivals was built on Unreal Engine 5, and as such, it’s usage of destructible environments, sleek visuals, and busy on-screen battles can be quite taxing to pull off performance wise.

We’ve seen the game’s performance on Xbox Series S consoles act as a testament to this, with major resolution compromises and technical hurdles to overcome to get it in action. Sasser expresses to me that is “definitely isn’t coming to [Nintendo] Switch” at this time as an example, relaying just how technically demanding Marvel Rivals’ chaotic battles can be.

So, if you were hoping to get your hands on Captain America’s shield or the Winter Soldier’s awesome tech’d out arm, you’ll need to hop over to other platforms to boot up the multiplayer game later this year.

I’m still hopeful that Marvel Rivals will at the very least get a mobile port down the line. We’ve seen triple-A experiences within the Resident Evil and Assassin’s Creed franchise come to iPhone in the last year, as well as huge games like the excellent Death Stranding. As the Nintendo Switch 2 approaches too, maybe Marvel Rivals’ future on handheld platforms isn’t doomed completely.