Why people are leaving Marvel Rivals? Because of the EOMM!

[Cxcxcy]

Marvel Rivals is a game that had me hooked from the start. With its iconic characters, engaging gameplay and vibrant community, it seemed like the perfect game for fun. But my experience over time has taken a sharp turn and the root cause of my frustration boils down to one issue - the EOMM system.

For those unfamiliar, EOMM stands for Engagement Optimized Matchmaking. At first glance, it sounds like a clever idea - a system designed to keep players engaged by dynamically adjusting matchmaking to make the game more enjoyable. However, in practice, EOMM feels manipulative and deeply frustrating. Let me explain why.

The Flaws of EOMM:

Artificial Winning and Losing Streaks

EOMM seems to purposefully place players on streaks, both winning and losing. When you're on a winning streak, it feels great—but it’s clear in hindsight that these wins are often against significantly weaker opponents. Then, almost inevitably, you’re thrown into a losing streak where you’re matched against far more powerful players. This rollercoaster of emotions is not organic - it’s engineered to keep you chasing the high of victory, only to yank it away when you're at your peak.

Lack of Player Agency

EOMM undermines the core satisfaction of improving as a player. Your success or failure often feels disconnected from your skill level or strategic choices. Instead, it feels like the system is manipulating the odds to achieve its engagement metrics, leaving little room for genuine growth or mastery.

Community Frustration

I’m not the only one feeling this way. Many players in the community forums and on social media have expressed similar grievances about the matchmaking system. The shared sentiment is that EOMM prioritizes engagement metrics over player enjoyment and it’s driving long-time players away.

Why I’m Leaving

Gaming should be about fun, challenge and fair competition. Unfortunately, EOMM in Marvel Rivals undermines these principles by turning gameplay into a psychological tug-of-war designed to maximize player retention and monetization.

I’ve spent countless hours building my roster and strategizing, but the joy I once felt has been overshadowed by frustration and a sense of manipulation. I’m no longer willing to invest my time and money in a game that prioritizes metrics and skin sales over its players.

To the Developers

I hope the team behind Marvel Rivals takes this feedback seriously. EOMM might boost short-term engagement, but it’s driving dedicated players away in the long run. Consider revisiting the system and prioritizing fair, skill-based matchmaking that rewards player growth and strategy.

To my fellow players, if you’ve been feeling the same way, you’re not alone. Maybe it’s time we demand better or move on to games that truly value their communities.

UPDATE #1

Following 170 comments I see on this thread, I think it’s important to make a small announcement.

• First. Everything that is written here is my own OPINION, based on my personal experience and the experience of other players.

• Second. If you are asking me for a legal evidence to proof that it’s an EOMM, well I can’t provide you one. You need to be realistic, I am just a player playing the game. I am not from a game’s development team nor I have a team of 100’s of researchers who can gather data. The documents from devs been shared in this thread, where they express their views and research about matchmaking. Every person here interprets this document the way they want it to be due to it’s complexity.

• Third. When I made this post, I wasn’t aware that the game potentially also uses bots as well. It can be as a standalone practice or as a part of EOMM - I don’t know.

The thing that is true to me at this point, is that there are some serious issues with a matchmaking system, that does not separate SOLO PLAYERS IN RATED GAMES by their skill. Instead, it’s trying to satisfy everyone with 48%-52% win/loss ratio wether you are a noob or pro solo rated player. That’s what I believe.

• Four. I am not claiming that my opinion is the only one that is true. I am not asking you to believe me, follow me or agree with me.

The goal of this thread is to highlight a matchmaking problem that I believe exists and make players do an informative decision wether they want to carry on playing the game or not.

Ideally this thread would be seen by someone from the NetEase, so they could provide some clarity.

[Zedliz]

also quit due to eomm. The ranking system is awful (wins give more points than losing) and chronoshield it’s a mess nonetheless.

[VoiD]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTRKCXC0JFg

[Cxcxcy]

Originally posted by Zedliz:

also quit due to eomm. The ranking system is awful (wins give more points than losing) and chronoshield it’s a mess nonetheless.

Totally agree

[Polyurethane]

Just so you know, the average player count on steam is currently higher than release and it has been since season 1 started. Sure - there's always a group of people "leaving" a game at any given time, it's just there's currently more people joining that leaving.

[JanTran-Sama]

yea, the solution is not pay for their skins, because this system exists even in moba legend: bang bang. Ruin the fun of the game

[Cxcxcy]

Originally posted by Polyurethane:

Just so you know, the average player count on steam is currently higher than release and it has been since season 1 started. Sure - there's always a group of people "leaving" a game at any given time, it's just there's currently more people joining that leaving.

Sure thing, I am not questioning that. Just expressing my concerns

[Zedliz]

This game is very fun. But it’s not competitive. You can reach gm with a 45% winrate cause win/losing points are a mess, the chronoshield nullifies every 4th lose and the eomm system.
The target audience are kids and teens who want to get the newest coolest skin to show off to their friends.
But it has nothing in common with a good matchmaking, good game quality and fairness.

[Cxcxcy]

Originally posted by JanTran-Sama:

yea, the solution is not pay for their skins, because this system exists even in moba legend: bang bang. Ruin the fun of the game

Not going to lie, when I just launched the game and had 6 wins in a row, I was super close to purchasing one. That's how this system works lol

[Cxcxcy]

Originally posted by Zedliz:

This game is very fun. But it’s not competitive. You can reach gm with a 45% winrate cause win/losing points are a mess, the chronoshield nullifies every 4th lose and the eomm system.
The target audience are kids and teens who want to get the newest coolest skin to show off to their friends.
But it has nothing in common with a good matchmaking, good game quality and fairness.

100%

[bladeddragonknight]

This crap is ONE of the reasons that OW died. Here we go again. They should call it DUMM...Disengagement Unoptimized Matchmaking.

[Arc]

I have
2 loss
9 wins in a row
1 loss
3 wins in a row
2 loss
1 win
2 loss
5 win
The only actual issue is that you can't lose more than twice in a row because it puts you v bots to win for free

[Wruce Bayne]

Originally posted by Zedliz:

also quit due to eomm. The ranking system is awful (wins give more points than losing) and chronoshield it’s a mess nonetheless.

Made it to G1 last night purely because of the crap system pitying me and giving the most points (+35) after my last W match.
I needed 8 points to rank up when I started playing, started with 2 loss and grinded for 2 hours because I was getting 2 losses/win everytime.

Manipulative af

[Zedliz]

Originally posted by Arc:

I have
2 loss
9 wins in a row
1 loss
3 wins in a row
2 loss
1 win
2 loss
5 win
The only actual issue is that you can't lose more than twice in a row because it puts you v bots to win for free

honey we are talking about the competitive aspect of the game. Quick play is a whole new construction area.

[Arc]

Quick play GAWDS represent 99% of the playerbase, comp doesn't matter

[Cxcxcy]

Originally posted by bladeddragonknight:

This crap is ONE of the reasons that OW died. Here we go again. They should call it DUMM...Disengagement Unoptimized Matchmaking.

And it's such a shame! Cos the game, the visuals and the gameplay are actually cool and fun