I’ve been trying to figure out how I wanted to talk about everything happening in the Marvel Rivals community right now. I love Marvel Rivals. This game has genuinely changed my life. I’ve received so much love and support from the team, I’ve met incredible people because of it, built a community around it, gotten opportunities I never imagined I would have, been featured as a creator, competed in tournaments, worked with brands I dreamed about working with, and made some of my favourite memories as a creator playing this game. So when people ask me, “Are you leaving Rivals?” I don’t want to lie just because that might be the answer people expect from me. I don’t want to leave. But loving something does not mean I have to ignore its problems. As a Black creator who has spent so much time supporting this game and being part of this community, I would feel wrong saying absolutely nothing while other Black players and creators are saying they feel hurt, unwelcome or unheard. Conversations are happening right now about racist harassment, moderation, representation and the way certain situations have been handled. And I don’t think concerns about racism should just be dismissed as “drama,” “it’s just a video game,” or “you wouldn’t have survived playing COD.” I also don’t think every Black creator should have to leave Marvel Rivals for our concerns to be taken seriously. I want to be able to love this game AND expect better from it. I want Black players to feel welcome here. I want people being targeted with racist abuse to feel like reporting it actually means something. I want Black creators who have helped build this community to feel heard when they say something isn’t okay. And more than anything, I want communication. I don’t expect a game or a community with millions of people in it to magically have no racism or toxicity. That’s unrealistic. But when it does happen, I care about how seriously it’s taken, how it’s handled, and whether the people affected feel like anyone is actually listening. My wish for Marvel Rivals is to switch to a more proactive approach with all these issues instead of a reactive one. I reached out to the Marvel Rivals team personally because I felt it was important to have this conversation with them directly too. They responded, acknowledged the concerns being raised, and told me they want to better understand the experiences and pain points Black creators are facing. They’ve invited me to share my perspective directly with the team, and I plan to do that. If there’s anything people in this community feel hasn’t been heard, or anything you would want expressed directly to the team, I’m happy to bring some of those concerns into that conversation too. I really hope some good change comes from these conversations. I’m not saying any of this because I want Marvel Rivals to fail. I’m saying it because I want it to be better. I love this game. I love the community I’ve built through it. And I hope there’s a future where supporting Marvel Rivals and speaking honestly about its problems don’t feel like two things that are in conflict with each other. 🤍