Marvel Snap has returned and developers wish to switch publishers

On January 19th, a temporary US shutdown of TikTok unexpectedly impacted Marvel Snap, the popular card game published by Nuverse (a ByteDance subsidiary). This disruption resulted in a 24-hour outage before the game's partial restoration. While the game is back online, in-app purchases remain unavailable.

The shutdown's impact highlights the political risks associated with ByteDance's ownership. TikTok's 90-day extension to sell a 50% stake to a US entity leaves Marvel Snap vulnerable to future disruptions if the deal fails. To mitigate this risk, developers are exploring a publisher change and internalizing some services, as announced on Platform X.

The sudden outage left many players frustrated, particularly due to the lack of prior warning. Many continued making in-game purchases unaware of the impending lockout. While PC users via Steam could still access the game, widespread authorization issues were reported.

Second Dinner Studios, the game's developer, expressed surprise at the event and assured players via an official Platform X statement: “Marvel Snap is here to stay. We're working hard to restore the game as quickly as possible, and we'll keep players informed of our progress.” Further updates are promised.