Eternal Strands – now on Game Pass, Xbox, PS5 and PC
Prepare to unleash a symphony of destruction and magical mayhem in Eternal Strands, the highly anticipated debut title from Yellow Brick Games as it hits Game Pass Day One, Xbox, PlayStation and PC.
This action-adventure RPG, available today on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC, invites players to explore a vibrant world, master the art of elemental combat, and uncover the secrets of a forgotten civilisation. And the best part? Xbox Game Pass subscribers can dive into this epic adventure for free!
A World of Magic and Mayhem
In Eternal Strands, you’ll step into the shoes of a powerful warrior who wields the Mantle, a magical cloak that grants you control over fire, ice, and telekinetic forces.
Combine these elemental powers with enchanted weapons and armor to create a unique combat style and conquer the challenges that await.
Sounds good? You’re right, it is! Make sure you check out our full review of Eternal Strands on Game Pass and Xbox right now.
Features That Will Ignite Your Imagination
Elemental Combat: Unleash devastating attacks with fire, ice, and telekinesis, shaping the battlefield to your advantage. Hurl burning trees at enemies, freeze them in their tracks, or unleash a torrent of telekinetic force to send them flying.
Interactive Environments: The world is your weapon in Eternal Strands. Burn barriers, freeze water to create pathways, and manipulate the environment to overcome obstacles and gain a strategic edge in combat.
Colossal Encounters: Face off against gigantic adversaries in epic battles that require a mix of swordplay, spellcasting, and acrobatic manoeuvres. Climb atop these towering foes, exploit their weaknesses, and unleash devastating attacks to emerge victorious.
Dynamic World: Explore a world that reacts to your actions, with an unstable climate that can be manipulated to your advantage. Trigger wildfires, freeze pathways, and use the environment to your advantage in both combat and exploration.
Exploration and Discovery: Uncover the secrets of the Enclave, a lost bastion of power and knowledge, and interact with a cast of intriguing characters who will aid you on your journey.
A New Breed of Action RPG
Eternal Strands promises a fresh and innovative take on the action RPG genre, blending elements of magic, environmental interaction, and challenging combat to create a truly captivating experience.
With its stunning visuals, deep customisation options, and a world that’s ripe for exploration, this game is sure to appeal to fans of action-adventure games and those seeking a unique and rewarding challenge.
A Game Pass Gem
Xbox Game Pass subscribers can experience the magic of Eternal Strands for free, making it an even more enticing proposition for those who crave a new and exciting adventure. This is a fantastic opportunity to delve into the game’s rich world, master its unique combat system, and uncover the secrets of the Enclave.
Eternal Strands is available today on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC, including Game Pass. Head to the likes of the Xbox Store to nab a download, all before unleashing your elemental powers, and preparing to conquer the challenges of a world where magic and mayhem collide!
You cannot play Eternal Strands on Xbox One.
Eternal Strands Description
Eternal Strands is the debut fantasy action-adventure title from Yellow Brick Games, a new independent studio founded by industry veterans.
The Edo period was a massive time of upheaval for ancient Japan, and this setting is the backdrop for an amazing experience in Rise of the Ronin. It wasn’t a huge smash-hit or anything, but it found a nice niche of fans who deeply enjoyed the experience. Rise of the Ronin is an open-world samurai that could well set steam alight with hype when it does drop on PC, and that’s surprisingly soon. And now, things are heating up once again as Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja have announced that Rise of the Ronin will hit PC on March 11.
The fast-paced action game will bring more samurai action to more gamers, right on the heels of the hotly anticipated Assassin’s Creed: Shadows.
The devs describe the game’s story and setting as:
“Japan, 1863. After three centuries of the Tokugawa Shogunate’s reign,the Black Ships of the West descend upon the nation’s borders and the country falls into a state of turmoil.Amidst the chaos of war, disease and political unrest,a nameless warrior forges their own path,holding the very fate of Japan in their hands.”
The companies announced the change fully earlier today with a new trailer, which can be seen below.
Thankfully, it’s not just a straight console port. The project’s development studio is adding much-needed elements for a PC version. That includes fully customizable support for keyboard and mouse, as well as other options. And along with the PC launch, it will be adapted to the features that PC gamers love. 120 fps support will be added, as well as support for high-end displays, such as 8K resolution and ultra-wide monitors.
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You can find the minimum PC specs for the game below.
Rise of the Ronin PC specs
Minimum:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating systemOS: Windows® 10/11 64bitProcessor: Intel Core i5-10400 or better, AMD Ryzen 5 1600 or betterMemory: 16 GB RAMGraphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (VRAM 6GB) or better, AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (VRAM 8GB) or betterDirectX: Version 12Network: Broadband Internet connectionStorage: 180 GB available spaceSound Card: 16-bit stereo with 48KHz playbackAdditional Notes: SSD required. Poor SSD performance may affect gameplay. Multi-channel memory architecture recommended. This game is expected to run at 1080p/30FPS under the lowest graphics settings (upscaled). Frame Generation can be used to increase FPS. Note: Windows® 11 system requirements apply when using that OS.
Recommended
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating systemOS: Windows® 10/11 64bitProcessor: Intel Core i5-10600K or better, AMD Ryzen 5 5600X or betterMemory: 16 GB RAMGraphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super (VRAM 8GB) or better, AMD Radeon RX 6700XT (VRAM 12GB) or betterDirectX: Version 12Network: Broadband Internet connectionStorage: 180 MB available spaceSound Card: 16-bit stereo with 48KHz playbackAdditional Notes: SSD required, NVMe SSD recommended. Multi-channel memory architecture recommended. This game is expected to run at 1080p/60FPS under the standard graphics settings (upscaled). Frame Generation can be used to increase FPS. Note: Windows® 11 system requirements apply when using that OS.
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Call of Duty’s single-player campaigns and multiplayer experiences often take the spotlight away from the franchise’s co-op offerings. In 2025, Black Ops 6’s Zombies mode has stolen the show thanks to frequent post-launch updates, a wide variety of maps, and a huge weapon arsenal.
Black Ops 6’s upcoming Season 2 update is set to continue the momentum of the Dark Aether storyline with the arrival of The Tomb, the second post-launch map of the Black Ops 6 cycle. The crew arrive at a cursed dig site to find the Sentinel Artifact. In addition to finding the item, players can get their hands on an iconic Wonder Weapon that possesses one ability that’s perfect for reaching the high rounds.
Black Ops 6 Wonder Weapon revives teammates with ease
The Staff of Ice is a brand-new Wonder Weapon available to earn in Zombies’ The Tomb. Alongside the ability to freeze the undead opposition, those in possession of the staff can revive nearby teammates instantly.
Reviving teammates in Black Ops 6 Zombies takes valuable seconds and relies on plenty of cooperation to avoid the undead bringing your match to an early end. Having a weapon that allows players to revive their friends instantly is perfect, especially in situations where Zombies are surrounding the area.
The Staff of Ice is one of many Wonder Weapons that have returned during the latest chapter of the Dark Aether storyline. Joining the likes of the Beamsmasher and the legendary Ray Gun, Treyarch is reminding everyone just how good a co-op Call of Duty mode can be.
Another great Zombies addition
Since World at War, Zombies has become a staple of the Call of Duty franchise with Treyarch and other developers showcasing their take on the undead-slaying mode. The Black Ops developers are the pioneers of the mode and are still finding a solid balance between innovation and nostalgia.
The Tomb is expected to be another popular addition to Black Ops 6 with all-new Easter eggs to complete and more blockbuster action setting the scene for the next map set to arrive in a future update.
For more CoD, check out all of the active promos along with the best XMG loadout that’s perfect for dealing with the undead.
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Welcome to Centipede for the C64 as an emulator by Norbert. A game that was not only released as a vertical fixed shooter by Atari in 1980, but it also featured as a rather cheesy but nostalgic Pixel movie. A nod to a game in which you had to protect your garden against not just spiders and scorpions, but also a rather nasty splitting Centipede. To coincide with this bit of history, Saberman has provided some gameplay footage of the Centipede Emulator for the C64!
Here’s the latest from the dev. ” The arcade machine is based on a 6502 CPU and Atari’s POKEY sound chip. The game was later ported to many different hardware platforms up to today’s smartphone era. Since the nineties, arcade emulators like MAME can emulate the classics like Centipede on modern computers. This program is a Centipede emulator for the Commodore 64. The “emulation” of the arcade machine’s CPU is done directly by the 6510 processor of the C64, which just runs the original game program on the C64. The video and sound hardware of the arcade machine is simulated on the C64 by specific routines in Assembly language. In this way, the original game play is (more or less) exactly reproduced, with some major trade-offs, though, which had to be made due to the lower resolution and sprite and color capabilities of the C64″.
UPDATE : The Centipede Emulator which was previously announced for the C64, has since been released for the Atari XL/XE. As in the words of the creator ” The “emulation” of the arcade machine’s CPU is done directly by the 6502 processor of the Atari home computer, which just runs the original game program. The arcade machine uses the POKEY chip for sound effects. As the Atari 800XL also has a POKEY built in, the original sound effects are directly played by this chip. The video hardware of the arcade machine is simulated on the Atari 800XL by specific routines in assembly language. In this way, the original game play is (more or less) exactly reproduced, with some major trade-offs, though, which had to be made due to the limited graphics capabilities of the Atari 800XL compared to the arcade machine.
Love your building and management sims? Iron Roads puts a rather cute looking style on it and it’s now available with Linux support in Early Access. Developed by Cowleyfornia Studios, who also made the narrative games We’ll always have Paris and Sarawak.
More about it: Iron Roads is a top-down 2D train management game with a focus on optimising train networks. With a minimalistic interface that stays out of your way while you set up complex networks, while remaining approachable for new players. They said they’re aiming for the accessibility of Mini Metro and the depth of games such as OpenTTD and Opus Magnum, while also capturing the irreverent tone of games like the Two Point series and Let’s Build a Zoo.
Features:
Board game like mechanics For example, Iron Roads has resource tokens rather than money. These can be earned by growing towns or completing contracts, and need to be used strategically to expand networks and progress the game.
Procedural music Music in Iron Roads is a combination of notes generated from trains and passengers, and authored melodies. The music generated is as unique as the layouts built by players.
Performance graphs The main goal of Iron Roads is to optimise the train networks, so charts are available to analyse data relating to finances and passengers.
3 Game modes Scenarios are hand crafted levels with unique gameplay elements; in the time-based challenges you must transport as many passengers as possible in a fixed period of time; there is also a free play mode where you can build your network and transport passengers free of any constraints.
The developer previously mentioned to me how a lot of it was developed on Linux too. Their roadmap also includes controller support and proper Steam Deck support coming later.
Gran Turismo 7 is Sony’s top-grossing racing game but ranks fifth in units sold. GT7 priced higher than previous titles, contributing to revenue success. Despite no GT8 announcement, GT7 continues to sell well with updates, visuals, and engaging gameplay.
The latest Gran Turismo game is now officially Sony’s most successful entry in the racing franchise in terms of revenue. A new report mentions that Gran Turismo 7 is now the highest-grossing title in the series in the US.
The title, which was released in 2022 on the PS4 and PS5, is now no.1 in dollars earned but only has the fifth spot in terms of units sold.
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Gran Turismo 7 Continues To Sell Years After Release
The sales info was shared by Mat Piscatella, Executive Director & Video Game Industry Analyst at Circana (formerly NPD), stating, “Gran Turismo now ranks 1st in dollars and 5th in units among all Gran Turismo franchise releases.”
In terms of sales, a previously leaked report (via GTPlanet), mentions how Gran Turismo Sport was pegge at 12.98m sales (as of December 2023), with around 3.11m of that in the US. Gran Turismo 7 was fifth in that list in terms of units sold, which means it wuold need to have sold between 3.44m of GT5 and the 3.74 of GT4.
With GT7 now number one in terms of revenue but not in sales, it’s due to Gran Turismo 3 being sold at $40 when it was new back then, with a significant number of copies included in console bundles. Gran Turismo 7 on the other hand, was sold at $70 for the PS5 version, and $60 for the PS4 version.
Given how GT7 is still heavily supported with monthly updates, and there’s not even an official anouncement for Gran Turismo 8 yet, expect Polyphony’s latest racing sim to continue to sell, and eventally take the top spot in terms of units moved.
Related
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What’s a racer without any good story?
If you haven’t bought Gran Turismo 7 since it’s an old game by today’s standards, perhaps our review will change your mind, as it states, “Gran Turismo 7 is a welcome return for the series after the lackluster GT Sport, even though there are some flaws that are mostly associated with microtransactions. The visuals and racing physics are top-notch as always and the game’s unique campaign that teaches you about the history of the automotive industry will keep car enthusiasts and newbies alike engaged for hours.”
The last time I booted GT7 (last year), it still looked visually stunning compared to today’s games. Its gameplay was still topnotch, and there’s a ton of stuff to do for gearheads even if you”re not a fan of tuning cars.
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Leave your AAA racers in the pit lane.
Systems
Released March 24, 2022
ESRB E for Everyone: Alcohol Reference, Use of Tobacco
Modern Hollywood’s foremost experimenter, Steven Soderbergh, has a new movie out this week, and it’s all about ghosts. Presence, his excellent new film and his first real foray into the horror genre, is shot entirely from the perspective of a ghost who inhabits a house where a new family has moved in. In the hands of nearly any other director, this kind of formal experiment could feel like a gimmick at best — or, at worst, a movie-ruining annoyance — but instead Soderbergh integrates it so effectively and smoothly that it feels like the most natural way to tell this story. Soderbergh carefully allows the camera-ghost to become a character at exactly the right times; otherwise, he lets the concept rest and relies on the movie’s fantastic script and family drama.
So, in honor of Soderbergh’s achievement in ghostly innovation, it got us thinking about ghosts as a subgenre of horror, and all of the fascinating and inventive cinematic storytelling filmmakers have used to tell evocative ghost stories. You can probably think of a few movies that fit the bill off the top of your head: There’s The Sixth Sense and Paranormal Activity, even Field of Dreams if you’re willing to stretch a little. But the well runs much deeper than those few movies. Here are some of our favorite unique ghost movies, each of which does something a little different with the genre.
Image: Harcourt Productions
Director: Herk Harvey Cast: Candace Hilligoss, Frances Feist, Sidney BergerWhere watch: Prime Video
This film follows Mary Henry (Candace Hilligoss), a young woman who survives a tragic car accident only to find herself pursued by a ghostly spirit with haunting eyes and a stark white face. Aside from just the spirit, Mary’s also inexplicably drawn to an abandoned carnival, which she finds herself constantly drifting toward for seemingly no reason at all.
Carnival of Souls is an utterly strange and inescapably haunting classic, but the reason it belongs on this list is how quietly and effectively it slips ghostliness into the film. The ghosts in Carnival of Souls aren’t just haunting, they’re watchful and almost unnoticed, slipping eerily through crowds before doing something tangible, like reaching out and touching Mary before she’s even seen them. Watching it now, over 62 years after its release, Carnival of Souls feels both recognizable, in how deeply it influenced not just ghost movies but the horror genre as a whole, and also still somehow surprisingly unique. While its inspirations are felt throughout the genre, it’s not quite like any movie that’s come since.
Image: Mungo Productions
Director: Joel Anderson Cast: Rosie Traynor, David Pledger, Martin SharpeWhere to watch: Prime Video
Lake Mungo is a found-footage film that tells the story of the Palmer family, whose 16-year-old daughter Alice drowns in the Australian lake that gives the movie its title. A few days after Alice’s funeral, the family begins hearing strange noises and waking up to bizarre occurrences in their house each morning. Alice’s older brother Matthew sets up a video camera to see what’s going on, and the family realizes Alice seems to have returned to their home as a ghost — they just can’t figure out how or why.
There’s no shortage of found-footage ghost movies, but few of them engage as meaningfully or interestingly with either concept as Lake Mungo does. What makes it unique is how actively it engages with both the faults of memory and the faults of film itself. It’s constantly grappling with the ways that footage could be doctored or altered, and what it might mean for the supernatural to interact with digital manipulation. For the viewer, it also means a constant questioning of what we’re seeing in this pseudo-documentary is real and what isn’t. The result is a film, much like Presence, that uses its ghostly subgenre to tell a deeply moving story about families and the secrets that pull them together and apart.
Of course, there’s much more to the wider cinematic world of ghosts than just the strange and unique movies we’ve listed above. While the goal of this main list is to shed light on a few films you may not have seen, or that may have been doing something out of the ordinary, we’re certainly not immune to the classics either. With that in mind, here are five all-time ghost movie classics, in case the other five in this story weren’t enough to cure your paranormal curiosity.
The Haunting Where to watch: Rentable on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video
Poltergeist Where to watch: Paramount Plus
The Changeling Where to watch: Shudder, Peacock
The Shining Where to watch: Rentable on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video
HouseWhere to watch: Max, Criterion Channel
Image: Toho
Director: Masaki KobayashiCast: Tatsuya Nakadai, Rentarō Mikuni, Tetsurō TambaWhere to watch: Max
Kwaidan is unique on this list in that it doesn’t tell a single narrative story, but rather is made up of four different ghostly short stories. One short story tells the tale of an unfaithful swordsman, another of a man who makes a promise to a spirit, another of a musician who plays songs for the court of a long-dead emperor, and another of a man who sees someone else’s face in a teacup.
Kwaidan is both the easiest and hardest movie on this list to recommend. This isn’t due to the movie’s quality — it’s outstanding — but rather due to the amorphousness of its influence and uniqueness. It’s not just hard to imagine what this subgenre of horror might look like without Kwaidan, it’s downright impossible. The movie’s haunting tone and camerawork and the distinctive style with which each of its tales is told have seeped down into the very foundation of horror films and become inextricable from the films we love today — which is reason enough to include it here.
Image: 20th Century Pictures
Director: Guillermo del ToroCast: Fernando Tielve, Eduardo Noriega, Federico LuppiWhere to watch: Rentable on Apple TV or Amazon Prime Video
The Devil’s Backbone is about an orphanage in Spain during the Spanish Civil War. One day, an orphan named Carlos arrives and begins to meet the other residents of the orphanage and explore its secrets. While most people might think the orphanage’s most interesting treasure is the cache of loyalist gold hidden somewhere on the grounds, Carlos finds himself more fascinated with (and terrified of) the ghostly boy who lurks the building’s halls at night.
Many movies include ghosts as something other than malevolent spirits, enough that it’s a category that absolutely necessitates a place on this list, but what makes del Toro’s version of this narrative so compelling in The Devil’s Backbone is how elegantly he weaves them into the story and tone of the movie. The Spain of this movie feels constantly haunted by the recent past, and troubled by the wounds of its violence — a literal bomb sits in the orphanage’s courtyard, unexploded but always threatening. Del Toro makes a ghostly presence in this place feel natural, like you couldn’t imagine somewhere this terrifying not having a ghost in it. It’s at once a more hopeful and haunting kind of ghost story than anything else on this list.
Image: Magnolia Pictures
Director: Kiyoshi KurosawaCast: Kumiko Asō, Haruhiko Kato, KoyukiWhere to watch: Max
This 2001 masterpiece from Japanese horror legend Kiyoshi Kurosawa is perhaps the scariest movie on this list. Pulse follows several people in Japan whose dealings with computers, and time spent on the burgeoning internet, allow them to watch the slow tumble of ghosts into the real world. These ghosts take the place of the once-living humans and seem to be in constant, but passive, search for more victims.
Despite the fact that it’s now nearly 25 years old, Pulse remains the definitive ghost story for the internet age. Its concept of ghosts who slip into our world through the internet feels as hauntingly plausible as it did when the technology was still mysterious — and perhaps even more metaphorically sound than anyone in 2001 could have imagined. What’s more, the film’s signature images — of lonely people on webcams, desperate for connection, fading into black spots on the wall only to return as haunting specters waiting to turn the rest of the world into something just as alone as they are — is the most affecting, insightful, and tragic addition to ghostly cinema since the subgenre’s earliest films.
Black Ops 6 is getting a new Zombies Perk-a-Cola in Season 2, but fans are already referring to the Perk as useless.
The Season 2 content drop for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 arrives this Tuesday and the game’s community is largely excited for the major update.
Zombies fans in particular, have a lot to look forward to, thanks to the addition of yet another round-based map: The Tomb.
Alongside the map, fans can enjoy new weapons, GobbleGums, Scorestreaks, and more – but a returning Perk is turning heads for all the wrong reasons…
Black Ops 6’s New Perk: Death Perception
Call of Duty Zombies fans will be no stranger to Death Perception, a Perk that made its debut all the way back in Black Ops 4.
But many of them don’t seem happy to see it return in Black Ops 6 Season 2, despite it being the strongest version of the Perk to date!
For those uninitiated, Death Perception is a Perk that allows players to see all enemies through walls. In a close-quarters setting (such as deep in an underground tomb), it’s the perfect way to keep yourself from being surprised by an undead horde.
But many members of the Zombies community are disappointed to see the Perk return, even going as far as to call it ‘useless’.
Why Death Perception Is Underwhelming Fans
Death Perception is a Perk that gives users the ability to detect enemies through obstacles by revealing outlines of their bodies.
And from how Treyarch refers to the Perk, it sounds as though it’ll be used in The Tomb specifically to help dig for treasure in special locations.
But the Perk doesn’t seem likely to be anyone’s first choice when it comes to spending their Essence, and actually feels like the least impactful Perk-a-Cola in the game so far.
“This is so useless man,” this week’s most popular post on the CODZombies subreddit reads. “This is basically only intended for the new map only since we are going to be “digging for treasure”
Is It Even Worth Researching?
Taking a look at the Perk’s Augments, we find ourselves equally underwhelmed:
Major Augments
Treasure HunterSpot items others can miss from loot containers as well as Special and Elite kills.Death StareYour Elemental Weakness damage has a chance to kill an enemy that is low on health.Critical EyeSmall chance that a body shot becomes a critical shot.
Minor Augments
Bird’s Eye ViewThe minimap’s scan rate is increased.Extra ChangeFind extra Essence under more locations.Further InsightIncrease perception radius.
While some of Black Ops 6 Zombies’ best Augments can be truly game-changing, Death Perception’s offerings seem a bit lacking.
We’ll have to see how they perform in-game, as maybe Critical Eye or Treasure Hunter could be more useful than they seem at first glance, but right now fans find themselves disappointed.
“This is why people have been begging for Treyarch to bring back Double Tap or Widow’s Wine,” LoneRedditor123 writes. “Funnily enough, Death Perception is not all that great of a perk! It was only useful in CW, and CW Zombies was easier. Go figure.”
Another CODZombies subreddit user, Lux_Operatur, calls Death Perception the “least exciting Perk reveal of all time.”
It’s clear that fans were hoping for Double Tap Root Beer to make its return, a Perk that Treyarch even seemed to be teasing in a recent Store bundle.
Other users are disappointed that Tombstone Soda, which allows downed players to respawn and collect their gear from a memorial stone, didn’t return in Death Perception’s place.
We’ve got to say, that would have been an extremely fitting Perk to accompany The Tomb, though Quick Revive’s Dying Wish Augment is already an excellent way to get a second chance at life.
Xbox is on the path to becoming the world’s biggest publisher, and it seems like Phil Spencer is currently doing the PR rounds. The result has been a few snippets of interesting info, like the fact that Microsoft plans on bringing games to the Switch 2.
Now in another interview hosted by Destin Legarie on his Patreon page, Spencer was asked if he could confirm Starfield would remain an exclusive. He shared a clip of Spencer’s response on his X page.
Phil Spencer on Starfield exclusivity
Destin: “Can you solidify that Starfield is staying put for the time being?”
“No. Like there is no specific game, that I would … That kinda goes back to my red line answer. Like, there is no reason for me to put a ring-fence around any game and say this game will not go to a place that it would find players, where it would have business success for us. What we find is we’re able to drive a better business that allows us to invest in great game line-up like you saw. And that’s our strategy, right. Our strategy is allow our games to be available. Game Pass is an important component to playing the games on our platform. But to keep games off of other platforms, we don’t think is the path that we’re gonna .. That’s not a path for us. It doesn’t work for us.”
It’s further confirmation of what the community has known since early 2024, but what Microsoft has been seemingly unwilling to say with complete certainty. Instead, Xbox has remained slightly vague with its wording, constantly hinting at more games coming to other platforms without every just coming out and saying “Yes, we are now publishing our games on PlayStation, Switch and PC.”
But it seems finally Xbox are solidifying their stance and being clearer that their games will be coming to platforms other than Xbox.
Marvel Rivals continues its upward momentum weeks after launch, seemingly providing a cocktail of powerful IP and engaging gameplay that folks are going bananas over. As is tradition, this popularity combined with a dedicated PC playerbase and a distinct cast like has attracted modders like bees to a field of flowers.
Days after the game’s launch, we saw a vast selection of custom skins and recolours flood modding websites, which the player base gorged itself on. In response, Netease banned the practice, stating outright that the use of such mods could result in a ban.
So now some time has passed, how has the Marvel Rivals scene reacted to this stance? Is Marvel Rivals still a hub for mods, and does the future look bright for Marvel Rivals mods? We reached out to creators of some of the most popular cosmetic mods to find out.
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These creators are Svanax, the creators of many goth reskins of Marvel Rivals heroes, as well as Leonaura who has recreated popular characters from other IPs into Marvel Rivals, including but not limited to Batman, Leon Kennedy, and Kamen Rider. Through online DMs, we threw them a few questions on how they got into Marvel Rivals modding, the Marvel Rivals modding community, and their thoughts on the Netease ban on Marvel Rivals ban.
VG247: So what’s your background in video game modding?
Svanax: “I actually had no prior experience with modding before diving into Marvel Rivals. I’d thought about modding skins for League of Legends in the past, but honestly, I was too lazy to follow through. That changed with Rivals, since you don’t get free skins, which motivated me to create my own. That said, I do have a background as a game developer, which definitely helped me get up to speed quickly when I started making mods.”
Leonaura: “This January marks 6 years since I began my journey in the video game modding scene.”
“I started Street Fighter V in January 2019, with a swap mod (a mod that swaps models) from Ryu to Ken (i.e. using Ryu with Ken’s moveset). With that mod I learned how to edit hex code and learned how game structures work in Unreal Engine in the latest versions.”
“I have a lot of love for Street Fighter V, and continue to actively make mods for the game, which I post on StreetModders, where the largest number of fighting game mods are concentrated. The last mod I posted was on January 9th.”
“Along the way, in addition to Street Fighter V, I’ve made mods for a few other games: Final Fantasy VII Remake (my Marlene with beard mod is one of my favorites), Sifu, Silent Hope, Devil May Cry V, Street Fighter 6, 9 Monkeys of Shaolin, The King of Fighters XV, and Dead or Alive 6. I’m also very proud to have been able to make mods for one of my favorite games, Final Fantasy VIII, although I’ve never published those mods. I was involved in the FFVIIR and One Piece Odyssey modding communities for a while, in their early days, but as much as I’d like to, I’m no longer actively involved in either of those games.”
“Marvel Rivals is the latest game I’ve successfully modded, and it’s been a breath of fresh air among other types of titles, as well as my first successful attempt at modding a game in Unreal Engine 5.”
Overwatch characters in Marvel Rivals has a particular humour to it I can’t help but like. | Image credit: Leonaura
VG247: How hard would you say it is to create Marvel Rivals mods, compared to other titles?
Svanax: “Since I usually work with game engines, it wasn’t all that difficult for me to pick up modding. My knowledge initially came from just two tutorial videos on how to mod in the early days of Rivals, and from there, I taught myself Blender. My first attempt was a basic recolor, which took about four hours and only required modding textures and a small amount of Unreal Engine 5 knowledge.”
“For someone who’s just a casual player, I’d say the difficulty is much higher. You need a solid understanding of how games work, along with some experience using Blender and a photo editing software of your choice. That said, with the number of tutorials available on YouTube now, you could probably create your first basic mod within half a day if you follow along carefully.”
Leonaura: “I have to admit that it’s nice. I’ve loved Marvel Rivals since day 1, and being a part of developing mods for a game with such a large fan and user base is a wonderful experience. I really enjoy testing my mods, taking screenshots, and sharing my progress in mod development. Out of everything I’ve created since 2019, I’d say my Marvel Rivals mods are among the best I’ve ever made. People often mention Vegeta, CJ, or Big Smoke mods (they’re my most downloaded mods on Nexus), but I’ve created others like Leon (RE2R), Spirit Spider, various Kamen Riders, Sigma (Talon), Widow (Noire), and Hanzo (Scion) from Overwatch, and many others. Some of those are among my favorites.”
“Creating mods for MR isn’t that far off from doing it for other games, though it’s tricky. Luckily, it’s easy to find help from other modders and users. There’s always someone friendly willing to help you out with kind words if you need it. Even those who stream our mods are nice, and we really appreciate them taking the time to showcase our creations. It’s nice to see them supporting your work.”
VG247: What are your thoughts on the Marvel Rivals modding scene?
Svanax: “The Marvel Rivals modding scene is incredibly welcoming. The modders are generally very supportive and friendly. There’s even a dedicated Discord server where people offer help almost 24/7. It’s a collaborative space where everyone helps each other out. Known bugs are documented, and tutorials on how to fix common issues are regularly posted, making it easier for new modders to get started and for experienced creators to troubleshoot quickly.”
“That said, the mod users can sometimes be less nice. While many are appreciative, there are definitely moments where they can be quite annoying, especially with repetitive or unreasonable requests.”
Leonaura: “Every single person who has been involved in Marvel Rivals modding is wonderful, and I’m really glad to be a part of it all.”
VG247: A short while ago Netease announced an outright ban on the use of cosmetic Marvel Rivals mods. What was your reaction to mod ban?
Marvel Rivals pays its way through skins, so the anti-mod stance isn’t entirely surprising. | Image credit: NetEase Games, VG247
Svanax: “My reaction to Netease’s decision to ban custom skins was pretty tame. I had a feeling that something like this would happen eventually, especially with some people pushing boundaries with NSFW mods. The sales might have also played a part, and it seemed kind of inevitable.”
“As for me, I’m not planning to stop modding, but I am taking a break for now. I need to test the mods myself, and I’m not sure what the future holds. For example, there’s the possibility that they’ll start banning people who edit their files. If it turns out that mods are still safe to use and/or Netease allows them, I’ll probably return to working on my original skin line and expand into other characters I haven’t redesigned yet.”
Leonaura: “I think it was to be expected that NetEase would block (because there is no ban at the moment) the use of mods in the game for all users. From day one, I understood that something like this could happen, given the characteristics of being a completely online and free video game. It is not the first online video game that includes mods (and that surprises a lot of people), but taking into account the characteristics of the game (F2P, with a constantly rotating store, with emphasis on the battle pass…) it was to be expected that they would do what they have done.”
“Since I found out that I could be part of MR, I have been modding the game, almost 12 hours a day, for the last month. When I received the news that mods were no longer working, my world stopped for a moment. I didn’t even feel like playing.”
“Now, I continue to dedicate hours a day to playing and modding, and I enjoy every moment very much. I am very grateful to Marvel and NetEase for what they have created. We needed a game as fun as this one.”
VG247: Is this a sentiment shared in the modding community?
Svanax: “Yes, the mods patch was pretty much common knowledge among the modding community.”
“However, some modders, like myself, are taking a more cautious approach and waiting to see how things play out. Others are still creating skins, but the uncertainty around Netease’s stance on mods is definitely making some modders more careful with their approach.”
“I think everyone understands the risks they’re taking if Netease decides to ban modding altogether, so at the end of the day, it’s up to each creator to decide what they feel is right for them.”
VG247: Would you recommend Marvel Rivals for aspiring modders?
With new characters coming all the time, there’s rich grounds for a modding space here, if bans can be avoided. | Image credit: NetEase
Svanax: “I definitely recommend starting to mod with Marvel Rivals if you’re specifically interested in creating mods for it. The community is very supportive, and there are plenty of tutorials available to help guide you along the way.”
“However, if you’re just looking to learn modding in general, I’d suggest starting with a game that has more certainty around modding policies, like League of Legends. As for the future of the modding community, it’s really hard to predict.”
“But one thing I know for sure is that if modding gets banned, the community will likely find a workaround, just as they always have.”
Leonaura: “That depends. It’s risky to do so, but anyone can be a part of this. Anyone who wants to join has to keep in mind that Marvel Rivals modding can end at any time. I think all of us who create mods for the game are aware of that. It’s not a question of if it will happen or not, but when.”
“What is important is that you support the game, and enjoy playing it. In my opinion, the best mods are not the ones that are technically better, but the ones that are made with love and passion for the modding scene and for the game. That’s the most important thing.”
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