Marvel announced that “soon” swimsuit-themed skins will be appearing in popular free-to-play shooter Marvel Rivals. Do you hear that loud noise? That’s the sound of Marvel Rivals developer NetEase installing new vaults to hold all the money they are about to make.
On April 17, Marvel announced that in July it is bringing back its Swimsuit Special. This was an ongoing series of special-edition comic books released in the 1990s that depicted superheroes and villains wearing bikinis, swimming trunks, and speedos. The series was pure fan service, but over time—as it added more gender parity—it was sometimes celebrated by critics in how it equally sexualized women and men. The last Swimsuit Special arrived in 1995. It’s possible Marvel opted to bring it back after seeing DC do its own assortment of swimsuit-themed summer artwork in 2024.
Now, for fans of Marvel Rivals out there, you’ll be very interested in this bit included in the Swimsuit Special announcement:
The issue will also include designs for new costumes coming soon to Marvel Rivals, the mega popular multiplayer video game from Marvel Games and NetEase Games.
We don’t have any more information on when to expect these outfits or what they will look like. But based on the fact they are showing up in a Swimsuit Special, I’d bet all my Lattice and Units that we are getting some bikinis and speedos in Rivals.
It’s predicted that the swimsuit skins will arrive in Marvel Rivals around the same time as Marvel’s release of the new swimsuit-themed comic, which is set to hit stands on July 9. Coincidentally, that’s roughly when we expect season 3 of Rivals to start.
Will the battle pass for season 3 be entirely dedicated to summer looks and swimwear? Perhaps. And if so, NetEase is going to have install a few more vaults to contain all the money they are about to make. And hey, maybe they can use some of that money to pay people instead of laying them off? Just a thought!
.
