The newly launched Marvel Rivals is already diving into the holiday spirit with its upcoming Winter Celebration, Joyful Jubilation event. Starting December 19th at 11 p.m. PT, players can expect festive costumes, special gifts, and a surprising new game mode heavily inspired by Nintendo’s Splatoon.
This winter event brings a flurry of holiday-themed costumes for several characters, including Venom, Rocket, Groot, Magik, and the surprisingly prominent Jeff the Land Shark. Venom’s icy redesign evokes a frosty, almost Marshmallow-esque appearance, while Groot adorably transforms into a decorated Christmas tree, complete with ornaments featuring his Guardians of the Galaxy teammates. Rocket, Magik, and Jeff sport winter-ready outfits perfect for hitting the slopes. Jeff’s costume will be free, though the distribution method (Winter Greeting Card or code redemption) remains unclear. A special “Winter Greeting Card” associated with Jeff will also grant players access to exclusive gifts.
The most unexpected addition is Jeff’s Winter Splash Festival, a new game mode drawing clear inspiration from Splatoon. Leveraging Jeff’s existing map-diving ability, reminiscent of Inklings and Octolings, this mode pits teams of Jeffs against each other in a race to cover the map in their team’s color. While the exact mechanics are yet to be fully revealed, the resemblance to Splatoon‘s turf war gameplay is striking. Whether this mode will become a permanent fixture or remain exclusive to the event is unknown.
The Winter Celebration also introduces a “Winter Greeting Card” linked to Jeff, which will unlock special gifts for players. This adds another layer of festive fun to the event, offering additional rewards beyond the new costumes and game mode. More details regarding the card’s functionality and the gifts it unlocks are expected soon.
This substantial update arrives remarkably soon after Marvel Rivals‘ launch less than two weeks prior. The introduction of such a unique mode so early in the game’s lifecycle suggests a promising future with potentially more innovative modes on the horizon.
The Winter Celebration, Joyful Jubilation event begins on December 19th at 11 p.m. PT. The event’s duration remains undisclosed, but further information is anticipated later this week.
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