With so much fierce competition in the fighting game space, Marvel Contest of Champions’ continued evolution over the last decade is commendable. From all-star crossovers with the Marvel Cinematic Universe to galaxy-warping events straight from the art of Jack Kirby, developer Kabam is showing no signs of slowing down. As the ten-year anniversary celebrations unfold, game director Bryan O’Hara and principal creative writer Tyler Nicol sit down with Pocket Tactics to discuss dream crossovers, huge milestones, and what’s next for the mobile fighter.
It wouldn’t surprise me if you took one look at Marvel Contest of Champions and gulped nervously as a new player. Like many of the best free mobile games with a hefty legacy behind them, it can seem daunting to hop in as a new player. Yet, Nicol assures me that now is the ideal time for anyone to enter The Battlerealm. “This game has always been a nice, low floor of entry, high ceiling of mastery’ kind of thing. If you just want to cruise along and get a team strong enough to get the monthly quests done you can, if you want to dive deep into each and every kit and face down challenges that’d be impossible for a casual player that’s there too,” Nicols expresses.
For the uninitiated, Kabam’s fighter tasks players with assembling a lean, mean crew of iconic heroes and villains, and taking them into the ultimate tournament around: The Contest. With so many characters joining the game’s roster over the years, there’s an incredible level of experimentation to have fun with. Pairing unlikely allies like Mr. Fantastic and Doctor Doom, or even a gang of Wolverines together, grants access to synergies you just can’t afford to pass up within our MCoC tier list.
The game’s possibilities are so grandiose that dedicated sites exist to build your team within seconds. This is all part of the community’s massive heart, an element that Nicol and O’Hara are keenly aware of. Nicol tells me that “I’ve always been happy about the embracing of community [with this game], as they help each other navigate the tricky challenges. For every ‘I can never beat this fight’ moment, there’s someone who got there ahead of you and made a video that’ll cheer you on and steer you in the right direction.”
Kabam values this kind of collaboration between players vastly, as Nicol tells me that the game’s “marketing and community teams [are] constantly reaching out to bring more and more of those creators into the fold so their guides and voices can get official elevation.” It’s one of many lessons learned throughout Marvel Contest of Champions lifespan, but keeping a close eye on the meta is an aspect O’Hara always monitors in a bid to keep skirmishes thrilling and fair. O’Hara explains, “one of our most important lessons has been that the best meta changes come from expanding possibilities rather than limiting them. When we introduce new mechanics or champions, we aim to create new strategic options rather than invalidate existing ones.”
Characters like Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch have dominated the meta in the past – a notion we’re interestingly seeing occur again in NetEase’s team-based shooter Marvel Rivals. Shaking up the meta of any live service title is always a gamble, though. Plenty of my go-to multiplayer experiences in the FPS game or ARPG game space can potentially set off a change reaction of tweaks, good or bad, with the smallest of updates. MCoC isn’t completely off the hook for that, but Kabam understands just how much time players devote to the game.
For many players, Marvel Contest of Champions’ gameplay loop is second nature. The game’s most skilled combatants can outsmart you with ease, but new challenges continue to test them, too. “We recognize the need for continued evolution and developing ways to expand gameplay mechanics for more fighting styles and champions,” O’Hara clarifies, but stresses the importance of welcoming newcomers to the fight as Kabam stays “mindful of the game’s accessibility for new players as well as respect the time spent by players in The Contest.” How these changes will manifest is yet to be revealed, but your time spent refining your roster won’t go to waste.
“The aim here is to keep the game fresh and exciting while respecting players’ previous investments in their rosters. Players should feel like their roster is growing in possibilities, not becoming obsolete. Of course, with nearly 300 champions, one of our biggest challenges is managing the complexity that comes with this constant expansion, and we’re actively investing in ways to make this depth more approachable for players,” O’Hara adds. The goalposts will keep moving though, and Marvel Contest of Champions’ anniversary celebrations usher in a brand-new original champion, Isophyne, and heaps of in-game challenges.
You can expect a weekly celebration of The Contest through the game’s Chrono-versary side quest content. Stacked with plentiful rewards like hefty supply drops and giveaways for up to ten iconic champions, players can take a trip down memory lane by fighting alongside and against champions from different years of The Contest. Combined with The Banquet event, these festivities serve as an excellent way to see Marvel Contest of Champions into the new year.
Nicol emphasizes just how enormous this anniversary is to Kabam, adding that “every anniversary is always an excuse to celebrate and reward our summoners and this year is set up to do that in style. We’ve got calendars, champion giveaways, alliance events, solo events, new weekly story adventures, [and] big reveals.”
To truly take advantage of the rewards Kabam is offering, don’t forget to boot up the Marvel game between December 10, 2024, and December 19, 2024, to bag a new champion every day. You’ll also get fresh champion Isophyne for free.
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