TheRetroArcade
Veteran
Posts: 1,989
Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
Move over incentivised throwing, we're back to just regular throwing.
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Marvel Rivals has been going through something of a rough patch, what with the frustrating lack of good balance patches and now a whole website dedicated to basically making the game worse for everyone involved.
Named 'incentivised throwing', this phenomenon saw a website and Discord being used to place bounties on people's heads. Players would then throw games to collect the money, and the website would take a portion of that reward. It got real weird, real quick.
Luckily, NetEase has since stepped in, reassuring players it would take action against this by upping the penalties for throwing games. It has also now implemented a "Victim Compensation Protocol" for all players who have been affected by match throwing, even if they weren't the intended target.
"To preserve match integrity, we're introducing the Victim Compensation Protocol," NetEase says in an official social media post. "If your match loss and point deduction were caused by a teammate's confirmed malicious behaviour, the system will automatically restore lost points. You'll receive an in-game mail notification once compensation has been issued."
The devs have also deployed a new and improved detection system for foul play: "This system uses a combination of big data analysis and manual review to enhance the detection of malicious throwing behaviour. Once violations are confirmed, offending accounts will face strict additional penalties." This is all very good news for anyone who has lost out on comp points thanks to someone throwing themselves off the side of the map for a bounty.
Dear Rivals,Since the launch of our crackdown on "Incentivized Throwing" (malicious match-losing for personal gain), we've received an overwhelming amount of feedback and suggestions from the community. Thank you for each point of passionate feedback! Our team is ready to roll…March 8, 2026
But I have a feeling the incentivised throwing epidemic will be over even sooner now that the website that started all of this has taken the bounty system down, replacing it with a portal where players can simply report players who throw (via GamesRadar).
Although this still isn't great news, because I doubt the reporting will stick to those who actually throw: like the bounty list, it may also transition into a burn book of players people simp...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
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Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
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Every Friday
GamesRadar+
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Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
Marvel Rivals has been going through something of a rough patch, what with the frustrating lack of good balance patches and now a whole website dedicated to basically making the game worse for everyone involved.
Named 'incentivised throwing', this phenomenon saw a website and Discord being used to place bounties on people's heads. Players would then throw games to collect the money, and the website would take a portion of that reward. It got real weird, real quick.
Luckily, NetEase has since stepped in, reassuring players it would take action against this by upping the penalties for throwing games. It has also now implemented a "Victim Compensation Protocol" for all players who have been affected by match throwing, even if they weren't the intended target.
"To preserve match integrity, we're introducing the Victim Compensation Protocol," NetEase says in an official social media post. "If your match loss and point deduction were caused by a teammate's confirmed malicious behaviour, the system will automatically restore lost points. You'll receive an in-game mail notification once compensation has been issued."
The devs have also deployed a new and improved detection system for foul play: "This system uses a combination of big data analysis and manual review to enhance the detection of malicious throwing behaviour. Once violations are confirmed, offending accounts will face strict additional penalties." This is all very good news for anyone who has lost out on comp points thanks to someone throwing themselves off the side of the map for a bounty.
Dear Rivals,Since the launch of our crackdown on "Incentivized Throwing" (malicious match-losing for personal gain), we've received an overwhelming amount of feedback and suggestions from the community. Thank you for each point of passionate feedback! Our team is ready to roll…March 8, 2026
But I have a feeling the incentivised throwing epidemic will be over even sooner now that the website that started all of this has taken the bounty system down, replacing it with a portal where players can simply report players who throw (via GamesRadar).
Although this still isn't great news, because I doubt the reporting will stick to those who actually throw: like the bounty list, it may also transition into a burn book of players people simp...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?