Marvel Snap Returns: Developers Seek New Publisher

On January 19, TikTok, a popular social media platform, temporarily halted its operations in the United States, unexpectedly affecting Marvel Snap, a renowned card game developed by Second Dinner Studios and released by Nuverse, a division of ByteDance, TikTok's parent company. This disruption caused Marvel Snap to be unavailable for a full 24 hours before it was brought back online. However, the game is still undergoing efforts to restore full functionality, with in-game purchases currently unavailable.

In response to this incident, the developers at Second Dinner Studios are considering a change in publishers and plan to transition some services to internal resources to prevent future disruptions. This decision was announced through an official statement on Platform X, citing political risks as the underlying reason. TikTok has been given a 90-day extension to divest 50% of its business to a local owner, and failure to comply may result in further blockages for TikTok and its associated projects, including Marvel Snap.

Second Dinner Studios has committed to providing further updates on the situation. Despite the game's return to Steam for PC users, numerous players are still experiencing authorization issues. The developers expressed their surprise at the incident and are diligently working to fully restore the game's services. An official statement from Platform X reassures players, stating:

“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”.

A significant concern for players was the lack of prior warning about the potential lockout, leading many to continue making in-game purchases unaware of the impending disruption.