Stats Show Declining Trust in Marvel Rivals' Ranked Mode

Recent statistics about the rank distribution in Marvel Rivals on PC have sparked both interest and concern among the gaming community. A key point to focus on is the distribution of players in the Bronze tier, particularly in Bronze 3. In Marvel Rivals, reaching level 10 automatically places you in Bronze 3, and from there, you need to grind through ranked matches to progress.

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In typical competitive games, advancing from Bronze 3 to Bronze 2 is relatively straightforward. Developers often design rank distributions to follow a Gaussian curve, or bell curve, where the majority of players fall into the middle ranks, such as Gold. This design ensures that players near the edges, like Bronze, experience a system that "pulls" them towards the center, with wins earning more points than losses.

However, the current rank distribution in Marvel Rivals deviates significantly from this model. There are four times more players in Bronze 3 than in Bronze 2, indicating a non-Gaussian distribution. This unusual distribution suggests that many players are not engaging with the ranking system as expected. The reasons for this disengagement can vary, but it's a potentially worrying signal for NetEase, the game's developer. It could imply that players are not motivated to progress through the ranks, which might affect the game's long-term engagement and retention.