Marvel reveals our new Blade in first trailer

Last night saw NetEase give Marvel Rivals’ fans their first look at the vampire-hunting Blade who will be joining the hero shooter roster in the upcoming months.

Released back in December 2024, the latest hero shooter on the market has gone from strength to strength by allowing players to step into the shoes of their favourite heroes (and villains) and go head-to-head in 6v6 combat.

Check out the launch trailer for Marvel Rivals below!

Now it seems as though Marvel Rivals shows no signs of slowing down as alongside the introduction of the Fantastic Four’s The Thing and the Human Torch, it seems as though the half-human/half-vampire Blade will also be joining the roster soon.

With Season 1 of Marvel Rivals underway, with its Season 1.5 update expected to drop on 21 February, it remains to be seen if Blade will be added in Season 2 but it looks to be quite likely with NetEase dropping his teaser during the 1.5 update trailer.

Not only that but with players facing off Dracula in the Empire of the Eternal Night: Central Park map, this would be the perfect time for Blade to come in and save the day.

We don’t yet know anything about Blade’s kit, or even which role he will play but there is no doubt that he will be an exciting addition nonetheless.

However, the news was bittersweet as alongside Blade’s announcement, it was also revealed that Seattle’s support team for Marvel Rivals was laid off just yesterday.

The news came after the Seattle-based game director Thaddeus Sasser took to LinkedIn with a statement.

“This is such a weird industry. My stellar, talented team just helped deliver an incredibly successful new franchise in Marvel Rivals for NetEase Games.

And were just laid off!”

Sasser goes on to commend his team in the hopes that they will find future roles but it is heartbreaking news and a stark reminder of the troubles facing the gaming industry.

As of now, it seems as though developers at NetEase’s headquarters in China were not affected by this mass lay-off.