The new swimsuit skin reveals have whipped up a storm.
This week, NetEase Games’ hero shooter Marvel Rivals revealed a series of new Summer Special swimsuit skins for heroes like Storm, Magik, and Scarlet Witch. However, the cosmetic unveiling did not come without controversy. Fans immediately pointed out that Storm, a Black woman of colour, was the first female character in the game to receive an Epic swimsuit skin, rather than a Legendary.
This kicked off roughly 13 hours of fans protesting the new Sacred Skies Storm skin, accusing the game’s developers of racial bias while raising allegations of similar treatment towards other in-game playable people of colour. For example, one user stated that Black Panther had not received an in-game store skin since Season 3.
NetEase Games eventually addressed the situation today with a new message posted on Marvel Rivals’ social platforms, confirming that Storm’s Sacred Skies skin would be upgraded to Legendary tier for no additional cost. The upgrade will add a new lobby and MVP animation, with the skin remaining at US$16.
The developer also reminded players that “harassment of our staff, including the development team and moderators, is not acceptable.”
What is the controversy surrounding Marvel Rivals’ Storm swimsuit skin?
The new Marvel Rivals swimsuit reveals have caused quite a stir among players. This week, three new cosmetic trailers were released in succession for Scarlet Witch, Magik, and Storm’s upcoming Summer Special swimsuit skins. On Twitter/X, Scarlet Witch and Magik’s swimsuit skin reveals received roughly 300–400 replies each, while Storm’s has received a whopping 2.2k replies to date.
This comes down to the controversy that was generated following the reveal of Storm’s skin being of Epic rarity, making it the game’s first Epic female skin in the Summer Special beachwear series. Players were also quick to point out that both Scarlet Witch and Magik had received five and four Legendary skins respectively, while Storm only had one Legendary skin to date.
General sentiment towards the reveal quickly turned negative online, with some remarking that the Epic skin reveal was a microcosm of the way Marvel Rivals was treating Storm players. The X-Men member was not getting nearly as many Legendary cosmetics as other heroes on the roster, thus leaving fans of Storm frustrated at her latest skin being Epic. Epic skins come without additional VFX and animations, and are made cheaper for players to pick up.
The discourse surrounding this reveal grew so loud that the Marvel Rivals subreddit began receiving criticism for limiting posts related to Storm’s new skin, though the subreddit has a general rule controlling repetitive posts. In an official but unrelated social media post following up on the new content coming to Marvel Rivals this week, Twitter/X replies were instead focused on drawing NetEase’s attention to the ongoing Storm discourse, with some throwing out “address me” memes in protest.
Even the game’s executive producer Danny Koo fielded comments on the skin online, replying to players asking for VFX additions for Storm’s Sacred Skies skin.
Marvel Rivals devs issue statement on Storm’s swimsuit skin
Earlier today (13 August), NetEase Games released a statement to acknowledge the recent discourse that had risen over Storm’s Sacred Skies skin. The developer noted that it had seen the “overall sentiment towards her cosmetic options” and confirmed upcoming changes to the skin.
First off, anyone who purchases Storm’s swimsuit skin will eventually receive a free Ultimate effect upgrade. The skin itself is being bumped up from Epic to Legendary tier, with new accompanying lobby and MVP animations. However, the skin will continue to be sold at its current US$16 price.
NetEase also confirmed that more Legendary-tier Costumes are coming for Storm, and asked players to “keep your eyes on the skies over the rest of the year,” implying that these skins will arrive within 2026.
However, the developer also ended its message with a firm stance against harassment from the player community:
“While we deeply value the expressive nature of our players, our number one goal is to create a positive community for everyone who loves this game. And while we understand that tensions run high, harassment of our staff, including the development team and moderators, is not acceptable.”
The developer also noted that Storm’s skin changes will take some time, and asked players to “please be patient” in the meantime. Storm, Magik, and Scarlet Witch’s new skins will launch in Marvel Rivals on 13 August, 2026.
