NetEase has wrapped up a major ban wave in Marvel Rivals, permanently blocking hundreds of cheating accounts from the game. The studio is trying to get a handle on the volume of cheaters affecting matches, and it didn't stop at quietly removing accounts. NetEase also published a list that names the players caught cheating, including their account names, user IDs, and ranks. Public callouts like this are rare, and this kind of disclosure hasn't been seen before.
A "Purge" Aimed at the Latest Cheats
NetEase is calling the action a "purge." The company framed it as a "targeted crackdown addressing newly updated cheats, building upon our foundational security frameworks," so it builds on the anticheat work already in place rather than standing as a one off.
The bans came in response to cheating that picked up after a recent weekend update. NetEase says its telemetry flagged the activity. "Recently, our telemetry detected that following the weekend update, a faction of rogue players began promoting and deploying unauthorized third-party enhancements," the company wrote. "This blatant disruption of our fair battlefield has sparked widespread concern across the Chronoverse. In response, our security teams have initiated an immediate, targeted purge."
The Penalties
Every account on the list is hit with a permanent ban. NetEase didn't break down the exact severity for each one, with a single exception. Three accounts at the bottom of the list were flagged for "severe violations," and those three picked up device bans on top of the permanent ban.
The broader policy is straightforward. Cheating gets you a permanent ban. Repeat offenders risk a device ban or an IP ban to keep them out for good.
The Cheating Reached Every Rank
What stands out about the purge is how high up the ladder it climbed. The banned players ranged from Bronze all the way to Celestial, the top tier in the game. Cheating wasn't limited to the lower brackets, in other words. It ran through the entire playerbase, and NetEase shared the names, user IDs, and ranks to back that up.
How They Got Caught
The cheats were picked up by Marvel Rivals' automated penalty system, which the security team trains to watch matches for cheating in several ways. Because an automated system did the flagging, NetEase admitted some players might have been "unjustly penalised." Anyone who thinks they were caught by mistake has a way to fight it. "If you believe you were unjustly penalised, you may submit an appeal through our official Customer Support channels for review," the company said.
A Message to Everyone Else
NetEase took the moment to remind players to steer clear of cheats and exploits. "We urge all rivals: do not download, purchase, distribute, or use any cheats, scripts, game modifiers, or illicit third-party tools," the company wrote.
It also shot down a rumor doing the rounds, confirming that you can't slip past the anticheat system with certain launch parameters. "Please note: rumors circulating online claiming that the anti-cheat system can be bypassed using launch parameters are completely false," NetEase said.
The company closed by asking the community to help flag bad actors and promising to keep building out its detection. "Thank you for standing with us to protect the Chronoverse," NetEase signed off. "If you spot a suspected anomaly or cheater in your matches, report them immediately. We will continually level up our anti-cheat arsenal to ensure that true skill, not forbidden tech, reigns supreme."
Where Marvel Rivals Sits Right Now
Marvel Rivals was one of last year's breakout hits. It paired an Overwatch style hero shooter setup with the deep Marvel roster of superheroes and broke through to the mainstream. The playerbase is still healthy.
The game has lost a bit of ground this year, though, to a resurgent Overwatch (formerly Overwatch 2), which puts the pressure back on NetEase to keep up. The next Avengers film, Doomsday, lands at the end of the year, and that boost in mainstream attention could be exactly what Marvel Rivals needs to climb back up.
