Content creators seeking to play in the closed alpha test for NetEase’s upcoming Marvel themed hero shooter, Marvel Rivals, found a nasty little surprise in the contracts they had to sign in exchange for a key. The contract in question contained a non-disparagement clause that would forbid creators from speaking poorly about their experiences, even satirically.
This clause was brought to the attention of the Marvel Rivals community by Brandon ‘Seagull’ Larned, a streamer and now retired professional Overwatch player. Seagull shared the details on Twitter/X and expressed his disappointment and disbelief that some creators were willingly accepting these terms. Naturally, this didn’t go over well with the community and stirred up a bit of a firestorm on social media and reddit.
Extremely disappointed in @MarvelRivals. Multiple creators asked for key codes to gain access to the playtest and are asked to sign a contract.The contract signs away your right to negatively review the game.Many streamers have signed without reading just to playInsanity. pic.twitter.com/c11BUDyka9
— Brandon Larned (@A_Seagull) May 12, 2024
Shortly after, NetEase released a statement characterizing the situation as a “miscommunication” and apologized for the “confusion, suspicion, and frustration” surrounding the news. The company pushed back at the notion it was looking to silence creators, stating that it welcomes creators’ “honest thoughts, suggestions, and criticisms.” NetEase went on to say that it is working to revise the contracts to be more “Creator-friendly,” whatever that means.
Dear Marvel Rivals players,Today is the third day of the Closed Alpha Test, and we are truly grateful for all the love and support from the community.We would like to take this opportunity to address the concerns we’ve seen regarding the agreement terms of Content Creator…
— Marvel Rivals (@MarvelRivals) May 13, 2024
Marvel Rivals’s closed alpha test is now live and runs through May 20.
