Marvel Rivals is a big hit, but there was a time when its very existence was in doubt. That's according to a new Bloomberg report on developer NetEase and its CEO William Ding, which says that before the game was released there were discussions about cancelling it outright. NetEase has denied the claim.

NetEase's Marvel Rivals can't be described as anything less than a hit, netting ten million players in just three days from launch and raking in millions for developer NetEase in the weeks since. But a new report suggests that NetEase CEO and founder William Ding nearly canceled the game due to a reluctance to use licensed IP.

In Marvel Rivals' case, NetEase says it's being used to provide "confidential information like damage and healing statistics" and allowing players to "selectively ban heroes, predict opponents' ultimate abilities, and more, severely undermining the fairness of our game."

Marvel Rivals developer NetEase has officially banned popular third-party plug-in Blitz from future matches. In an announcement shared online, NetEase called the information showcased by Blitz "confidential,