Marvel Rivals Team Apologises After Banning Streamers for Non-Disparagement Agreement Violations
The highly anticipated Marvel Rivals, an upcoming team-based shooter a la Overwatch, has already faced it's first controversy upon the release of its Closed Alpha Test. Content creators were allowed to partake, but a particular clause within he contract you needed to sign leaked, and people weren't happy.
In the contract to access the Closed Alpha Test, NetEase, the developer and publisher, had included clause 2.1, stating:
21. Non-Disparagement: The Content Creator agrees not to make any public statements or engage in discussions that are detrimental to the reputation of the game. This includes, but is not limited to:
a. Making disparaging or satirical comments about any game-related material, such as game features, characters, or music.
b. Engaging in malicious comparisons with competitors or belittle the. gameplay or differences of "Marvel Rivals" or providing subjective negative reviews of the game.
This was seen in a post on X by Brandon Larned, stating that the contract seemed insane. Another user by the name of Miller Ross posted a lengthy reply, stating that a streamer had been banned for breaking this clause, and yet another one by the name of Sadot The Gamer spoke up about being banned (and later unbanned after the company apologised).
Extremely disappointed in @MarvelRivals.
— Brandon Larned (@A_Seagull) May 12, 2024
Multiple creators asked for key codes to gain access to the playtest and are asked to sign a contract.
The contract signs away your right to negatively review the game.
Many streamers have signed without reading just to play
Insanity. pic.twitter.com/c11BUDyka9
I didn't want to engage in this conversation because I told NetEase I would avoid negative topics where possible and I really did intend to stick to that, but this involves dear friends and I have to address this. Here's the timeline.
— Miller Ross (@mmmmmmmmiller) May 12, 2024
I was doing Jay and Sadot's podcast. This… https://t.co/FGUqQwJtut
Marvel Rivals has released a statement in regards to the backlash against the terms of the contract with creators
— Sadot The Gamer (@sadotthegamer) May 12, 2024
(I'm still banned for 'violating the agreement' even though I never signed it) https://t.co/zwjY6QuVcH pic.twitter.com/8QSPS916Jp
Shared on the official Marvel Rivals X account was the apology from the team, saying that it was all a "misunderstanding" and that they apologised for any "confusion, suspicion, and frustration caused by these excessively restrictive terms". This came within a few hours of the contract being shared.
Dear Marvel Rivals players,
— Marvel Rivals (@MarvelRivals) May 13, 2024
Today is the third day of the Closed Alpha Test, and we are truly grateful for all the love and support from the community.
We would like to take this opportunity to address the concerns we’ve seen regarding the agreement terms of Content Creator…
Since then, it seems the clause has been lifted, as content creators are being unbanned from having shared previously negative experiences. Overall, if it hadn't been for this controversy thus far, Marvel Rivals seemed to have been heading to a relatively positive reception, with plenty of content creators sharing that they had loved their time with it thus far.
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