Excitement is building among superhero fans with the impending release of Marvel Rivals, a free-to-play, team-based shooter channeling the competitive spirit—and, hopefully, the success— of titles like Valorant and Overwatch. In a bid to drum up further excitement among its varied audiences, Marvel recently unveiled a series of exclusive variant comic book covers inspired by the game set to hit shelves in the new year.
Though all Marvel Rivals characters will be unlocked at launch, only a handful will receive the alt cover spotlight. Spider-Man and Venom are notable Marvel legends who, among other Marvel Comics title characters, will take to their covers depicted in the Marvel Rivals art style. Per a BleedingCool first look, the variants are gorgeously rendered by Peach Momoko, the acclaimed artist behind Marvel's Demon Days series and the new Ultimate X-Men.
Momoko, who also provides character designs for the free-to-play shooter, is the most recognizable creative Avenger assembled for Marvel Rivals. Though developers NetEase have plenty of credits (Once Human, Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, among them), Creative Director Guangyun Chen and Art Director Dino Ma's specific experiences are harder to track down. This, coupled with recent flops from video-game-genre-cohort C oncord, have dampened expectations for Marvel's latest venture among some gamers.
Thankfully, the jury won't be out on Marvel Rivals much longer.
Comic collectors and Momoko fans may have to wait until 2025 for their Marvel Rivals-themed variant covers, but waiting for the game's Dec. 6 launch requires less patience. The 6v6 team-based shooter will be available on Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S platforms as free-to-play ahead of the holiday season, with variants for Storm #4, Fantastic Four #28, Magik #1, All-New Venom #2, and Amazing Spider-Man #65 hitting shelves shortly thereafter on Jan. 8.
