‘Marvel Rivals’: Abandoned Chrono Tokens And The State Of Battle Passes

Video Games

Mar 25

Capturing Mission Areas is fun, but getting rewarded for your hard work is even better. Marvel Rivals used to have a great in-game currency setup with the platform’s Chrono Tokens. If you’ve been a fan of the game, you’re likely already groaning.

NetEase, the developer behind Marvel Rivals, recently announced that Chrono Tokens would reset after Season 0 ended. Even worse, NetEase is making the practice standard for every future season. Players are frustrated, but it wasn’t a completely unexpected shock for people with any experience in shooter games.

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Chrono Tokens Usage Changed Unexpectedly

Marvel Rivals shocked the world when it earned $130 million in its first month, even while being free to play. Chrono Tokens and the platform’s Battle Pass were its secret sauce. Players could complete in-game challenges and special events to get more Tokens if they didn’t want to pay real-world money for them. In return, everyone got new skins, unlocked emotes and even sped up their Battle Pass progress.

Now, there are a few catches. The Season 1 update removed some cosmetics people were saving their Chrono Tokens to buy, which was devastating enough. Losing everything can make people more inclined to purchase microtransactions, instigating impulse spending with money they may not have to get the perks they want before Battle Pass tiers update.

The developer also changed which Tokens could follow players to the next season. When Season 0 started, players knew their Tokens would carry over to Season 1 whether they earned them or bought them with real-world cash. NetEase’s announcement about Tokens resetting changed that.

Season 1 players can buy Lattice with actual money. The in-game premium currency purchases Chrono Tokens that set your redemption limit. Imagine buying 10,000 Tokens with Lattice. You spend those Tokens on the Battle Pass, making your redemption limit 10,000. As you keep playing the game, you rack up 15,000 free Tokens. When the season ends, your redemption limit allows 10,000 of those 15,000 Tokens to carry into the next one.

In addition to the basic Tokens rules changing, people are angry that they have to pay real-world money to keep only some of their Tokens. NetEase hasn’t responded to the outcry. The company has been busy laying off its Seattle team as it continues with its current development strategies.

How Other Games Compare With Marvel Rivals

Changing in-game currency rules isn’t new for people who love shooter games. After its previous iterations loot boxes were discontinued, Overwatch 2 launched as a free-to-play game with a controversial Battle Pass system. The game’s much heavier paywall-focused format has disappointed players for years, with Blizzard making constant attempts to return to its predecessor’s popularity in response to rapidly declining player engagement.

Apex Legends also adjusted its tier system. Most of the valuable items are at the higher tiers, which take many hours to reach through gameplay alone. When Respawn Entertainment announced that Premium and Premium+ tiers were only accessible with real-world purchases, people protested so much that the developer walked back its update, so everything remained available through in-game Apex Coins.

Anyone familiar with MultiVersus knows that Battle Passes don’t always have to feel like a paywall. The platform’s reward track is more affordable than most. You can also make progress with XP earned while you play. However, unlike Marvel Rivals, Multiversus locked the majority of its playable characters behind a paywall, contributing to quickly dwindling player interest after the game’s rerelease. Now, the game is ending its service on May 30, with Season 5 as its last update.

Call of Duty sets arguably sets a better standard for Battle Passes. Infinity Ward updated Modern Warfare III with tiers players can choose to unlock, giving people more choice over which items they earn. The primary paywall is that you do have to pay the game’s real-world price tag to access the game. Marvel Rivals, Overwatch 2, MultiVersus and others are free to play. Still, many people think Call of Duty’s tiered rewards are worth their time and money.

Ways Fans Are Responding to These Changes

Ultimately, video game fans know there are many ways to manage in-game currency and Battle Passes. People are willing to invest real-world money and hours of their free time if the rewards are worth it. Tiers need to have valuable cosmetics for players to enjoy.

Low-value rewards and the inability to keep what you paid actual money to buy may turn some people away from shooter games. With AAA games quickly rising above the $70 price point that became the norm in recent years, the cost barrier to access video games is becoming even bigger. While those who can afford things like Lattice may feel fine with the current state of the video game industry, it’s a growing concern for people who enjoy free-to-play games because they’re free.

Solutions are possible for developers who are willing to meet their audience halfway. Players are advocating for a more casual resource farming system that provides a limited number of Tokens for longer gameplay. Marvel Rivals could also let people use Tokens for new kinds of tiers or compensate players in-game with cosmetics when they lose Tokens between seasons.

**Prepare to Play Marvel Rivals Differently**

If you love Marvel Rivals, the new Token system will likely change how you play. Consider whether or not the new strategies are worth your time, and pay attention to the developer’s updates. People are getting more vocal about how Battle Passes aren’t working for them, which could lead to better versions in future seasons.

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