As someone who has been playing Marvel Rivals on my poor, underpowered Steam Deck, it was a surprise to see NetEase Games announce a port for the similarly powered PS4. While this console still has a huge player base, one has to wonder why NetEase decided to port this game down to an actual last-gen console.
Most people will tell you “money,” because fans of hero shooters will reach into their wallets for skins if they a.) like your game and b.) are horny. On paper, this is the most basic excuse since money is great and it’s not like there’s anything about Rivals’ graphics that screams “current-gen only.” This should be the end of it.
But as a promising show that underdelivered in its last two seasons would ask…what if there’s more to it? What if there’s a method to the madness that is porting a current-gen shooter to last-gen hardware? What if…NetEase ported Marvel Rivals to PS4 as a testing ground for the future Switch 2 version?
Weirder things have happened. Ant-Man got a movie, for Pete’s sake.
Your Powers are Mine!
The Nintendo Switch 2 is a powerhouse system, being a lot stronger than its predecessor and is on par with Valve’s Steam Deck, maybe slightly more (or less) powerful. It can run games like CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077, but it does seem to struggle with titles like the upcoming Elden Ring. Despite these issues, it should be able to run Marvel Rivals fairly easily. The PS4 can still run hero shooters like Overwatch 2 and Apex Legends, which are graphically similar to Rivals, so it looks possible, at least on paper.
However, because the Steam Deck’s version is based on the official PC release, it can be hard to gauge that system’s power and immediately bring that to Switch 2. Most Deck owners are just playing this hero shooter on low settings after all, though adjustments have been made to make it more handheld-friendly.
So what about a console that actually matches the Switch 2’s power, somewhat? The PS4 is still a strong system, running games like Horizon Forbidden West and God of War Ragnarok. Why not put Marvel Rivals here and see how far it can go? With similar power levels come identical results of compatibility after all.
Kneel Peasants!
Interestingly, various live-service games are dropping support for the PS4, making this Marvel Rivals port more questionable than anything else.
Genshin Impact and PUBG announced that they wouldn’t be updating the PS4 version anymore. Those are pretty big games, so dropping support for a fairly popular console with decent enough power is a huge deal. Both Genshin and PUBG are on mobile devices after all, so they could theoretically keep supporting the PS4 version.
That adds more credence to my theory, as it feels like Marvel Rivals is going to have a short shelf life on the PS4. I think they’re going to see how well the PS4 version runs for a year or two, announce a Switch 2 version next year, then drop support around 2027 or 2028. NetEase will probably let players transfer their saves to the PS5 version, which adds layers to this theory: getting fans to buy current-gen consoles.
My Friends are Here!
An argument for porting down Marvel Rivals to PS4 could just be getting this game into the hands of more players. Not everyone can get a PS5 after all, and the similar graphics between both systems does make some fans apathetic towards Sony’s current-gen system. Doesn’t help that the long-running joke about the PS5 is that it “doesn’t have games.”
We’ve seen games ported down to the PS4 before, with Godfall and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor being major examples. It might even surprise fans to know that there are plenty of current-gen games that run on PS4, like Street Fighter 6 and Metaphor: ReFantazio. This system should be dying, but these examples do make me think it’s not as dead as some make it out to be.
Does that mean Marvel Rivals will have a long life on the PS4? It’s too soon to tell, but I’m going to go with no. I still think running this concurrently with a future Switch 2 version makes sense because of their similar capabilities. More fans will be playing with a Switch 2 in the future, so this feels like a short-term investment.
Still, it’s just pretty cool that it’s happening at all. Last-gen versions are always fascinating, and we think this will become a talking point for many years. Who knows? Maybe the PS4 will finally die when that happens.
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