‘Marvel Rivals’ Season 3.5 Introducing Automated Voice Chat Monitoring: “Even If No One Reports A Villainous Act, Our System Will Swing In To Proactively Identify And Penalize Violations”
In a disappointing move from one of the world’s most popular multiplayer games, developer NetEase Games has announced that starting with Marvel Rivals‘ upcoming Season 3.5 update, any and all in-game voice chat activity will be subject to both automatic and human review.
This unfortunate update to the Marvel-skinned hero shooter was provided to players by Marvel Rivals director Guangyun ‘Guangguang’ Chen as part of his team’s latest Dev Vision video series, the aptly-named Vol. 08 – Welcome to Season 3.5.
Following the reveal of Blade’s Duelist kit, the new game mode Resource Rumble, and a new ‘Throne of Knull’ map, Guangguang introduced their new Operation: Shield the Community, a new effort supposedly aimed at improving each player’s individual multiplayer experience.
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“Great teamwork starts with great communication,” began the director. “To keep Marvel Rivals a positive experience for all, we’re upgrading our in-game environment.”
“Starting July 24th, in addition to player reports and manual review, all in-game voice chat will now be automatically screened by the system with human review,” he explained. “This means we will catch more toxic behavior and players using inappropriate language will be penalized, making the game a better place for everyone.”
In addition to this two-pronged audio monitoring system, Guangguang also announced a change to the game’s text chat mechanics, declaring, “With the Season 3.5 update, we’re also adding a custom filter for test chat.”
“If a message contains a muted word, you will be filter out just for you. This feature will empower players to tailor their experience.
“We will also regularly review popular words and consider adding them to the official list. When our team is playing together, we regularly say positivity will win this game. No matter what happens, we keep encouraging each other and often win in the end.
“United we stand, divided we fall. I truly believe that if we work together, we will all have a great time in Marvel Rivals.”
Further information as to these communication changes was provided via an official blog post published to the game’s official website on July 31st:
“We’ve observed that inappropriate content appears more frequently in voice chat than in text. First and foremost, we sincerely ask all our Rivals to keep their cool, stay composed, and remember: even if a match looks hopeless, don’t give up because a good strategy and mindset can turn the tide faster than Hulk can smash! Currently, our voice content review relies on player reports and manual review. But soon, we’re rolling out automated systems that’ll catch trouble faster than Spider-Man’s Spidey Sense. This means even if no one reports a villainous act, our system will swing in to proactively identify and penalize violations.
“Our moderation team is on call around the clock to review ambiguous cases and make final decisions. Unlike text, voice moderation can’t happen instantly, so there may be some delay before inappropriate content is addressed. However, we guarantee that every player report is treated with the urgency of an Omega-level threat.
“For text chat, our automated filtering system already blocks most inappropriate content in real time. But now, we’re giving you even more power:
Players can now set up their own defenses against words they’d rather not see in chat. If a message contains a muted word, it will be filtered out. This feature will empower players to tailor their experience beyond the official block list. We’ll also regularly review popular muted words and consider adding them to the official list.
We know it’s impossible to eliminate all inappropriate language, but we’re committed to protecting the experience of as many players as possible. We hope everyone will join us in this mission. By watching your own words and actions, and by reporting any violations you encounter, you’ll help keep our community worthy of its heroes.”
At current, it’s unknown exactly what Guangguang means when he says that Marvel Rivals chats will be “automatically screened by the system”, in particular whether this will see all voice exchanges recorded and held for human review, or just a small amount of them, as likely selected by an AI model based on specific criteria fed to them by NetEase Games.
Further, neither Guangguang nor any official Marvel Rivals documentation have yet provided any details regarding exactly which behaviors, words, or interactions could possibly land a given player in hot water (and given NetEase Games’ headquartering in China, there exists a good potential that such punishable offenses could be far wider ranging than Western players are generally used to).
Ultimately, Marvel Rivals‘ automated voice chat monitoring systems will officially as part of the game’s Season 3.5 update, as currently set to go live on August 8th.
