NetEase reportedly canceled Marvel Rivals because it was not its own original IP.

NetEase would have lost millions if it were cancelled. Founder William Ding did not want licensed IP and nearly tried to shut down the game.

It would have cost NetEase millions if the game had indeed been canceled. Yet, that almost happened. NetEase founder William Ding was not in favor of using a licensed IP and actually wanted to stop the game.

We now know that things aren’t going well at NetEase. The Marvel Rivals studio in Seattle has been laid off, and investments in projects are shrinking. According to Bloomberg, Ding preferred that artists create their own artwork rather than relying on Marvel’s intellectual property. Fortunately, things turned out differently, and the game has become a huge success.

Ding is reportedly convinced that only games generating hundreds of millions per year are worth pursuing, dismissing all others. Sources at NetEase claim he is prone to changing his mind quickly and making sudden decisions, leaving employees uncertain about what to expect. Workers are expected to stay late, and recently, some fresh graduates have been placed in management roles. Chaos seems to be brewing, but luckily, Ding doesn’t always get his way—Marvel Rivals reportedly has around 1.5 million players per month.