After only four months of being fully released, Marvel Rivals has made waves in the competitive video gaming space. From gaining over 25 million players worldwide to taking over the hero shooter market, this game has achieved many accolades in its short lifespan that most games will never be able to reach. There are even talks about Marvels Rivals being Game of the Year for 2025. Now, after only four months, over 10 major esports organizations have purchased and/or sponsored teams in Marvel Rivals and tournaments between them are already being played. With this huge investment, it is safe to say that Marvel Rivals is now a major esport, so let’s discuss what teams have invested and why this matters for the future of Marvel Rivals.

Current Major Marvel Rivals Teams

In no particular order, here are the current organizations that have invested in Marvel Rivals Teams:

  • Luminosity – With teams in several other Esports already, this organization has two teams in Marvel Rivals – one for North America and another for Europe.
  • Sentinels – Known for their Valorant team, this organization has invested in one North American team.
  • Virtus.pro – Having over a dozen different teams in other games, this organization has added another European team to their roster in Marvel Rivals.
  • SHROUD-X – Former professional player and full-time streamer, Shroud, created this organization just to have a Marvel Rivals in North America.
  • Fnatic – League of Legends, CS2, among a few others, this organization is ready to destroy the European competition in Marvel Rivals just like in their other games.
  • Team Envy – With expertise in a few other shooter games, this organization has one North American team ready to use that expertise on Marvel Rivals.
  • OG Esports – From Dota 2 to Marvel Rivals, this organization wants to break into a new genre of game with their European Marvel Rivals team.
  • 100 Thieves – Currently thought to be the best team in the Marvel Rivals scene, this organization has one North American team.
  • FURY Esports – With only one other team in Esports, this organization has invested in an Oceania Region Marvel Rivals team.
  •  FlyQuest – Known for pairing Eco-friendly goals with esports, this organization has invested in a North American Marvel Rivals team.
  • Kanga Esports – Another one team organization that has invested in a Marvel Rivals team from the Oceania Region.

Since the Marvel Rivals Esports scene is still very young, most of the infrastructure that other teams from other games have is still not there. However, as the scene grows, there is a very good chance that Marvel Rivals will become a full-blown esport with all the infrastructure surrounding it.

Why This Matters for Marvel Rivals

For any game that has a heavy emphasis on competitive play, an Esports scene is a must. It brings new players and investment into the game; reinvigorates players to continue playing and trying to get better ranks; and it allows the developers to continue developing new playable maps, heroes, game modes, and events. With a stable esport scene, competitive games have a good chance of staying relevant for a decade or more – look at CS2 or League of Legends as great examples of this. Marvel Rivals has followed this path with great success and if it continues with this trajectory, Marvel Rivals could cement itself as one of the greatest esports.

All that being said, there are some issues with Marvel Rivals Esports that if left unfixed will destroy everything that has been built for it over the past four months. For example, the meta heroes used in the highest levels of play are the same 10 to 12 heroes despite there being over 30 characters. This could make for very stale gameplay if left unchecked for too long. New heroes, balancing patches, etc. will need to be applied on a regular cadence, which so far has been the case, for this game to survive years down the line.

Luckily, there are still plenty of Marvel characters that can be added to this game. Hopefully, they will be added on the same timeline as they have been of around two new characters, one new map, and new hero balancing every 45 days, with hotfix patches mixed in every now and then. If this cadence of new releases can be strictly adhered to, the future of Marvel Rivals as a fun games and competitive esport is looking very bright!