New Marvel Rivals datamine hints at Overwatch 2-style lootboxes

Marvel Rivals has been compared to Overwatch 2 but there’s one thing that latter has that Netease’s Marvel-sanctioned hero shooter doesn’t: loot boxes. That could however be set to change. One dataminer has discovered that Marvel Rivals’ Season 4 files contains references to Mysteries, which appear to be the game’s own take on loot boxes. Does that mean Marvel Rivals fans should start locking their bank accounts? Not necessarily.

The leaker in question, RivalsInfo, has taken a cautious approach to their discovery, underlining that while loot boxes could be coming to Marvel Rivals, it’s not a certainty that this multiplayer superhero game will get them.

What RivalsInfo did discover was that in Season 4’s files “There are multiple references to mystery box logic, such as “cosmic mysteries number” and “BOX_OPEN_HISTORY_CHANGE”, which further confirms that it relates to the old loot box system.”

What old loot box system, you might be wondering? Back in 2024, dataminer RivalsLeaks (via TheGamer) discovered lootbox opening animations, amongst things, among Marvel Rival’s files. Players will know that nothing came of that, but it suggests developer Netease at least toyed with the idea.

This more recent discovery could be a similar situation, a case of the developer reusing code. It may, in fact, be that Netease has no intention of putting loot boxes in Marvel Rivals. There are already Marvel Rivals skins that can only be purchased, so it’s not as if its developer isn’t making money from the game.

The response to RivalsInfo’s thread on Twitter/X has been mixed, with fans split on whether loot boxes would be a positive or negative. Some Overwatch 2 fans requested loot boxes return to that game.

As for Marvel Rivals’ immediate future, Season 4: The Season of the Dragon kicks off this Friday, September 12, including a new outsider hero.

Do you love free stuff? Of course you do. Here are our guides to the active Marvel Rivals codes and Marvel Rivals Season Twitch drops.

Want to share tactics and victories with other Marvel Rivals players? Swing by our community Discord server, but we won’t hear a word said against Jeff the Land Shark.