“Marvel Rivals” Introduces New Feature to Address Performance Issues: Significant Reduction in Memory Usage

For "Marvel Rivals" the most significant challenge has been its optimization issues - prolonged loading times and frequent stuttering or crashes during gameplay. The developers have announced that they will implement a "switchable shader compilation mode" in the second season to improve this situation.

"To address memory overload issues, we're rolling out an experimental feature in Season 2: switchable shader compilation mode." According to the update log, players can enable this feature via the PC launcher.

This mode introduces two major enhancements: First, the shader compilation process will be streamlined, requiring execution only upon the initial game entry or when updating versions/drivers. This optimization is anticipated to considerably reduce loading times. Second, memory usage will be "significantly decreased," helping to mitigate severe frame rate drops, screen freezes, and crashes due to insufficient memory.

The development team has been working to introduce a new visual mode [or “this experimental feature,” depending on context] aimed at improving performance for some players. While we are releasing this with the goal of providing a smoother experience, we want to be upfront about a few known issues we have identified in this initial version.

Firstly, you might notice that some textures could momentarily appear abnormal when they first load into view, though this visual anomaly should automatically correct itself after just a few frames. Secondly, players might experience a slight stutter or brief hitch specifically at the very beginning of races. We are aware of these specific instances and are working on further optimizations.

A third, more significant issue has been observed on systems with less powerful processors. If you are running the game on a computer equipped with a CPU that has fewer than six cores, enabling both this new mode and AMD FSR3 frame generation technology simultaneously could potentially result in more pronounced and severe stuttering. We are investigating this specific interaction to mitigate its impact.

Despite these points, the development team’s intention with this release is to offer a potential solution for players currently struggling with performance. Our advice is primarily directed towards players with less than 16GB of RAM who have encountered significant frame rate drops, frustrating screen freezes, or frequent game crashes. For these specific configurations and issues, we encourage you to try out this experimental feature. It may offer a substantial improvement to your gameplay experience.

However, it’s important to reiterate that this is an experimental option. Should you activate it and subsequently experience any problems, whether new issues arise or the existing ones are not resolved, please know that our technical support team is prepared and on standby to assist you. Your feedback and reports are valuable as we continue to refine and improve this feature.

We are committed to enhancing the game’s performance and appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through these challenges.