Marvel Rivals creative director responds to it being called a "gooner game"

The skins for certain characters have definitely drawn some players, but not everyone surely?
Text: Alex Hopley
Published 2025-08-16

It seems you're either a part of the woke, overly political mob nowadays, or you're a gooner game. There's no in between, and Marvel Rivals has been labelled as part of the latter. Don't get me wrong, it's easy to see where these accusations come from. Take a look at any Emma Frost or Psylocke skin and try not to feel awkward whenever your family is in the room.

Marvel Rivals' creative director even responded to the accusations recently in an interview with Rivals Assembled. Guangguang didn't seem to mind the label, but assured people that the designs come from classic comic looks rather than a desire to see Thor's bulge on the dev team.

"These all come from classic comic designs," said Guangguang. "We take those classic comic designs and create some more fashionable designs based on them to gain players' appreciation."

<social>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-_8Qj3spOM</social>

Player appreciation has certainly been earned from these skins. The Malice look for Sue Storm, the Vengeance skin for Psylocke, and many other cosmetics have had people running to the in-game store in droves. The only question is whether one portion of the fanbase might start to feel a bit isolated with the attention given to the gooners.

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