"Widowmaker in OW vs. Black Widow"- Former Blizzard president believes Marvel Rivals is an Overwatch clone

Marvel Rivals's official release is almost near, and while all gamers and Marvel fans are assembling to celebrate the game's launch, former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra has started a controversy by comparing the game with Overwatch. In his X post, he accused Marvel Rivals of plagiarism, and he further took the situation by calling the game an Overwatch clone. While he did not use the exact word "clone" in his post, he called the game "Overwatch Marvel Rivals".

Furthermore, he shared the official Black Widow reveal trailer in Marvel Rivals and made a comparison between the Widowmaker in Overwatch and the iconic Marvel character. Here is what he stated:

"I mean even the character name – Widowmaker in OW vs. Black Widow in Marvel Rivals lol. NetEase/TenCent – all the same."

As a result, the fans did not take it well, and eventually, the post also received a community note. Read on to learn more about what the former Blizzard president had to say about Marvel Rivals.

Note: The post by Mike Ybarra is deleted right now.

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Former Blizzard president calls out Marvel Rivals for plagiarism

Recently, Tencent announced a game called the Lights of Motiram. Needless to say, the game has a striking resemblance to Horizon Zero Dawn. While that is a completely different game and has nothing to do with Marvel Rivals, Ybarra said:

"Much like Light of Motiram (a clear copy of HZD) out of China"

The community immediately replied, as his comparison stated that the Black Widow is inspired by the Widowmaker in Overwatch, and according to him, they almost share the same name.

Former Blizzard president accuses Marvel Rivals of plagiarism (Image via X)

However, in reality, Black Widow has been an integral part of the Marvel Universe since 1964. We've seen the iconic character in comics, movies, and animated series several times. The character was also portrayed by Scarlett Johansson in the MCU, which created a worldwide sensation later. It is also important to note that Marvel Rivals features characters from the Marvel universe, and none of them are related to Overwatch.

Although both Marvel Rivals and Overwatch belong to the hero shooter genre, it's unfair to compare them as they have their unique mechanisms and characters. It is hard to tell whether the comment was made in jest or he actually compared both games. What do you think? Let us know in the comment section.

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