This OP Marvel Rivals feature was inspired by award-winning game

In Marvel Rivals, players explore destructible, ever-changing battlefields ranging from Asgard to Tokyo 2099, devising strategies using unique team-up abilities and dynamic hero synergies. From Spider-Man’s slick web-slinging to Magneto’s metal manipulation mayhem, the game provides a chaotic yet thrilling experience.

Doctor Strange’s portals have evolved as a gaming highlight, providing tactical depth and amusing mischief. Players use his Pentagram of Farallah ability to make flawless spatial linkages, such as teleporting teammates to flank attackers or deceiving enemies into falling off cliffs. These 20-second gateways enable real-time combat exchanges, cementing Strange’s status as a fan-favorite Vanguard hero.

However, according to the game director, their production presented unprecedented technical obstacles, requiring the development team to innovate. Adding to the discussion, senior graphics engineer Tieyi Zhang revealed at GDC 2025 that inspiration came from an unlikely place, which is one of the most popular Game of the Year award recipients.

Marvel Rivals dev reveals It Takes Two inspired Doctor Strange’s portals

It’s no secret that Hazelight’s It Takes Two has been one of the benchmark co-op games whether on console or PC platforms. The game’s split-screen rendering technology, which manages two views without performance issues, prompted a breakthrough for Marvel Rivals, guaranteeing Strange’s portals glitter without detracting from the action.

It Takes Two, a game built on the Unreal Engine, “simultaneously renders two views without catastrophic overhead,” according to Zhang, who speculated that the developers may have used “some magic” that he was unaware of.

“Discovering the local function, creating a local player” was the catalyst for Marvel Rivals’ breakthrough, though. It dawned on Zhang that incorporating a nearby player “automatically enables split-screen rendering via distant cameras.”

The developers of Marvel Rivals allegedly skipped over the source code for It Takes Two. The issues were resolved by studying how Hazelight dealt with its performance concerns and applying a comparable approach to Marvel Rivals.