Chinese games giant NetEase has found itself in hot water after a streamer revealed the contents of a contract the firm was asking creators sign to play the alpha of Marvel Rivals.

Initially disclosed by streamer Brandon Larned, the agreement that NetEase was asking influencers to sign forbade them from "making disparaging or satirical comments" about anything in the game. Furthermore, creators were not able to engage in "malicious comparisons with competitors" or provide "subjective negative reviews" of the title. In other words, don't say anything bad about the game or compare it to rival titles, such as Overwatch.

In a statement to PCGamesN, NetEase has apologised for what it calls "inappropriate and misleading terms" in the contact. The Chinese giant has said that it will be producing a new version of the agreement with revised terms and will be sending this to influencers.

“The contract is a draft version aiming for long-term cooperation with the creators who are interested in Marvel Rivals,” NetEase said.

“The development team hopes to have more meaningful and consistent feedback, suggestions, and criticisms through more in-depth cooperation.”

Meanwhile, in a post on the game's Discord, NetEase wrote: “Our stance is absolutely open for both suggestions and criticisms to improve our game. We are now working to revise the miscommunication terms from our commitment. The progress will be shared with every creator in a timely manner.”