NetEase overhauls Marvel Rivals textures to shrink install size
Developing story first seen 3 hours ago
Marvel Rivals is set to receive a major update that significantly cuts the game's install size across all platforms, addressing growing concerns over storage demands. The change comes via a texture compression overhaul that developer NetEase says will not sacrifice any visual quality, making the popular hero shooter considerably lighter to keep installed.
On PS5 and Xbox, the install size will drop by roughly 15GB, from 73GB down to around 58GB, a 20 percent reduction, while the PC version will shrink by about 40GB, over 57 percent smaller. Creative director Guangyun Chen explained the repackaging means the initial Season 9.5 download will actually be larger than usual before settling at the smaller final size, with the update expected on 7th August. The change comes as Marvel Rivals remains one of the most-played titles on consoles, though a recent UI overhaul has frustrated some players and dragged its Steam rating down to "mixed".
- Marvel Rivals' Season 9.5 update slashes install size on PC and consoles.
- PC drops by 40GB (57%), consoles by 15GB (20%), via texture compression.
- Update lands 7th August; initial download will be temporarily larger.
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Marvel Rivals is a free-to-play team-based shooter built around Marvel superheroes and villains, developed by NetEase Games. It's available on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox, and has built up a large, active player base since launch, making it one of the more prominent live-service games on consoles.
Like many modern online games, it requires a hefty chunk of storage space to install, something that has become a growing frustration for players as consoles and PCs fill up with large titles. Developers periodically issue updates to optimise how games store their data, often by compressing textures (the image files that give characters and environments their detail) without changing how the game actually looks.
NetEase has been rolling out regular seasonal content updates for Marvel Rivals, and the game has also faced some criticism recently over changes to its user interface. Any move to substantially reduce the amount of space the game takes up matters to the wider player base, since storage limits can affect whether people keep a game installed or decide to delete it.
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Originally published by Eurogamer as “Marvel Rivals’ next update drastically reduces the game’s install size on PC and console”.