The U.S. governmentโs “divest-or-ban” law targeting TikTok has unexpectedly swept up other apps with ties to ByteDance, including the fan-favourite card game Marvel Snap. Gamers were caught off guard late Saturday night, January 18, as the app was abruptly removed from major app stores with little warning.
A surprise blow for Marvel Snap fans
Marvel Snap, the popular card battler set in the Marvel universe, is developed by Second Dinner, a California-based studio. However, the game is published by Nuverse, a ByteDance-owned company, which places it under the scope of the same legislation affecting TikTok.
Second Dinner expressed shock over the takedown. In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), the studio assured players, saying:
“Marvel Snap isnโt going anywhere. Weโre actively working on getting the game up as soon as possible and will update you once we have more to share.โ
Just as midnight on January 19, 2025, struck, Marvel Snap disappeared from the Apple App Store for iPhone and iPad users and Google Play for Android players. On PC, the game remains listed on Steam, but many users report being automatically logged out and unable to access their accounts.
Unfortunately, MARVEL SNAP is temporarily unavailable in U.S. app stores and is unavailable to play in the U.S.
— Second Dinner (@seconddinner) January 19, 2025
This outage is a surprise to us and wasn’t planned. MARVEL SNAP isnโt going anywhere.
Weโre actively working on getting the game up as soon as possible and willโฆ
Limited warning leaves players frustrated
Unlike TikTok, which had months of public discussion leading up to its removal, Marvel Snap’s takedown seemed to come without much notice. Many players were unaware of the gameโs connection to ByteDance, leaving them frustratedโparticularly those who had recently spent money on in-game items.
The ByteDance crackdown has also impacted other apps linked to the company. Lemon8 and CapCut were removed from app stores alongside TikTok, while some apps, like ByteDanceโs collaboration tool Lark, were initially available but later pulled.
Not all ByteDance-affiliated games faced the same immediate removal. Titles like Earth: Revival – Deep Underground and Ragnarok X: 3rd Anniversary, both published by Nuverse, remained available for download as of the early hours of January 19.
Whatโs next for Marvel Snap?
While Second Dinner works to restore Marvel Snap in the U.S., players are left in limbo, wondering if the game will return. For now, Marvel Snap fans are encouraged to stay updated through official channels as the studio navigates the impact of this unexpected ban.
