Hit Super Smash Bros-like fighter sequel had to completely rebrand a month before release "because Marvel Rivals is actually a good game"

Platform fighting sequel Rivals of Aether 2 had to go through a big rebrand a mere month before release, all because Marvel Rivals is better than we all expected it to be. 

2017's Rivals of Aether gave Super Smash Bros a run for its money with a similarly chaotic, party-focused, jump-and-punchy approach to fighting, alongside a gorgeous pixel-art character roster that just begged you to devote your entire personality to one main. It was popular enough to get three spin-offs - ranging from dating sims to turn-based roguelikes - and now, a full 2.5D sequel.

Taking the Gears 5 playbook and jettisoning half its name, the sequel was originally announced two years ago as simply Rivals 2, which is probably what fans will casually refer to it as anyway. What developer Aether Studios didn't know was that some of the biggest pop culture faces in the world would be starring in a similarly-named project that's probably started clogging up every algorithm and search engine when the words "Rivals" and "game" appear. 

Rivals of Aether II | Official Release Date Trailer - YouTube

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Back in August, studio lead Dan Fornace reacted to the growing excitement around Marvel Rivals, tweeting that he "did not have an Overwatch-inspired Marvel game throwing a wrench in our marketing and branding plans on my 2024 bingo card." Now, alongside a new trailer, the game has formally made the transition to Rivals of Aether 2.

It seems Fornace was just as unprepared as the rest of us for Marvel Rivals to be, you know, good enough to light a fire under Overwatch's feet. "That feeling when you have to rebrand your whole game a month before launch because Marvel Rivals is actually a good game," the studio lead tweeted alongside an image of the two different key art images below.

Rivals of Aether 2 is now due to launch on Steam on October 23 with a roster of 10 new and returning fighters, with all future characters coming at no additional cost.

The four week wait will go much faster with our best fighting games guide.