The official Marvel Rivals account has disclosed a new Deadpool skin, called ‘Captain Pool,’ for Season 6, which is set to launch on January 16th. The skin depicts the Merc with a Mouth who has taken over a ship, but the reveal has resulted in instant mixed reactions among the game’s players. This situation highlights the problem that live-service games continue to experience in terms of coming up with skin designs that are both creative and meet players’ expectations at the same time.
Marvel Rivals has just revealed the Season 6 trailer, and the greatest skin that has been introduced is…. Captain Pool! The skin shows Deadpool dressed as a pirate with a freakish cyborg arm. In the tweet, it is mentioned that he’s ‘turning command into chaos and rules into suggestions,’ which is very much Deadpool but the reception…. oh boy, that is another story altogether. They seem to have opened a Pandora’s box of complaints instead of launching a new silly skin.
Players do not hesitate to speak their minds about the design. User ZeEggHead very straightforwardly wrote, ‘This isn’t even piratepool it’s some ugly cyborg version.’ He continued saying that he appreciates the game for being almost like the comics but the developers, NetEase, have really got to discontinue making these ugly skins! Another player, Sulyvahn, did not elaborate on his dissatisfaction, but just asked the sad question, ‘Why is he so ugly:(‘. MightyGandolf was very direct and declared, ‘This skin is so ugly wtf.’ It appears that the look is…quite contentious, at least.
The uproar has more levels like an onion of discontent, that is, a large portion of the replies are not even about the skin’s look – they are about another skin entirely. Numerous users including sukugon are requesting the MCU version of Deadpool and they are even putting up pictures of Ryan Reynolds in the new movie suit. A player, xercal, who seemed to be complaining about the absence of an MCU skin, sparked a small debate. User Belgain DuRan argued that a premium skin should be noticeably different from the base one, saying, “I’d rather get the MCU skin in a Battle Pass.” However, Right_Bumper24 responded that the Rivals and MCU designs “are not similar in the slightest.” Thus, it is an unending back and forth over who is going to spend money on what and what the fans really want.
Next, alongside the criticism, there are users who simply want the developers to share the basic information with them. User ᗴᗷ asks, “Patch notes please.” Another one, JJand1, says, “We want the patch notes ASAP.” It is a nice reminder that very often the new cosmetics that look great are just covering up a game that needs balancing and fixing and the community is really looking forward to those details. They are not only looking beyond the captain’s hat but are also curious about what is actually changing behind the scenes.
A little bit of the positive side has to be recognized. User solvirgoluna declared that he appreciated the walk animation and his remark was “His walk is killing me.” LeoCarnage simply said, “I have to get this.” So it is not complete hatred but this time the negative voices are indeed louder and more specific than the positive ones.
It is somewhat funny but it is also ironic at the same time. A skin that is beyond perfect for the character – loud, reckless, and chaotic – is revealed, and the players’ reaction is just as loud and chaotic. Some are asking for a different movie skin, some are saying this one is just poorly designed, and others are simply tired of the whole skin discourse. A user, SUPER, just wrote “Mask is dumb” and went on with his life. Frankly, that is the vibe.
What do these happenings mean for Marvel Rivals? It means that player passion can be a double-edged sword. They care enough to grumble over the skin design, which means they are invested players. On the other hand, this situation puts NetEase in sort of a dilemma. Should they stick to their original, comic-inspired, or more offbeat designs or should they change direction drastically to provide players the movie looks they are yearning for? ZeEggHead’s comment about being “faithful to comics” suggests that there is a segment of the player base that values this even if the rest think it is “ugly” execution.
The coming of Captain Pool is signaling that in the present gaming landscape a new skin is an already established policy statement rather than just a fun extra. And the players are interpreting that statement very, very closely. They are comparing it to other media, judging its worth, and are not afraid to criticize it if it does not meet their expectations. For a game like Marvel Rivals, nurturing a lasting community means discovering the way, a challenge also faced by games on PlayStation and Xbox.
