Marvel Rivals’ dev forced to respond to “gooner game” allegations

Marvel Rivals’ Creative Director Guangyun “Guangguang” Chen has been asked to answer for his crimes: gooning.

If you’ve been paying attention to TikTok recently — and I applaud you if you’re not — you’ve probably seen enough Italian brain rot and couples cringe to last a lifetime. But you’ve probably also seen Marvel Rivals’ female characters’ butt cheeks even more. For those of you without any social media of any kind: Marvel Rivals has been creating highly sexualized ads in hopes of getting lonely looksmaxxing incels to stop jorking it and play the game (and jork there instead).

The gooner content has become so inescapable that Rivals Assembled even asked Guangguang to respond to the gooner game allegations in a recent interview.

Marvel Rivals’ Is Proud of Its Gooner Skins

Here is basically how the conversation went:

Judge: Mr. Chen, can you please let the court know why the skins in Marvel Rivals are so sexualized.

Guangguang: Our designs are inspired by classic comic themes, but we wanted to create more fashionable designs based on these classic comic designs to gain players’ appreciation.

Judge: Ah, so classic comic designs but with more cake.

Guangguang: Precisely, Your Honor. Squirrel Girl’s Krakoa Resort skin wasn’t intended to give teenage coomers a boner for thick squirrels. It was to showcase the season’s storyline blended with real-world styles.

[shows image of the skin in question]

Judge: You really weren’t trying to make me crash out for squirrel thighs?

Guanguang: Are you okay, Your Honor? You look…

Judge: Case dismissed! I have something urgent that’s suddenly come up. And don’t look at it!

Guangguang: I’m free to goon? I mean, go?

Judge: [barks]

I’m kidding, the interview was not this damning. If anything, Guangguang got out of the question by just saying the skins blended the season’s themes with real-world fashion and classic comic designs. I mean, yeah, booty shorts and bikinis are clearly real-world clothing items. But that didn’t really answer the question.

Let me leave the interview here, just so you believe me that this court scene is not real.

“They’re well-received by the majority of players,” he added at the end.

Okay, well that’s not wrong. Most players really do like these revealing and stylish skins, including myself. As I have previously reported, I can both understand the chronic issues with sexualization in a male dominated space like gaming while also thinking the skins really do look gorgeous. I like the skins but it does get a little tired having butt cheeks in my face every time I play — it just feels a bit try-hard with its constant “don’t talk about that issue, look at these boobs instead” content.

Nonetheless, I still don’t really appreciate these desperate sexual ads being shoved at me all over TikTok and Reddit as if I’m a crusty old man in a strip club. Don’t you have anything better to do, Marvel Rivals? Don’t you have a game to balance?