Marvel Rivals seems a bit unstoppable at the moment, even if mods no longer work, as it hit a new player count peak this weekend.
We all know that Marvel Rivals is a hit, but its true test will always be how it fares after its first season. Season 1 ended a few days ago, and lo and behold, the game is so popular that it hit an all-time peak of 644,269 concurrent players, making it one of the most played games of the weekend. It's also the 14th-highest peak game ever on Steam, higher than games like Apex Legends and the recently released hit Path of Exile 2. Those are some huge, strong numbers, and certainly solidify Marvel Rivals' position. It's here to stay – perhaps not surprising given the IP it comes with, but also relevant considering how many live service games die out quickly.
iGamesNews
What are the disadvantages? The Season 1 update also now prevents players from using mods, which have quickly become popular given the emergence of classics like Jeff Landshark's Thomas the Tank Engine skin. Some other mods include Pochta in Jeff's Chainsaw skin, Vegeta in Iron Man, and Goku in Spider-Man. There are already quite a few game-ending mods on Nexus Mods, most of which are visual tweaks, performance improvements, etc., but NetEase Games is clearly worried about players using mods to cheat.
Mods like skins have been banned from the start, so this update isn't surprising in any way. In a comment to IGN, NetEase even stated that it “does not recommend modifying any game files because doing so risks being banned.” The game doesn't need any help, but games like Team Fortress 2 are still popular today due to the game's abundance of mods and custom content scenarios. There's not much to do about it right now, so I guess you'll just have to admire regular land shark Jeff.
