Margo Keller January 23rd, 2025 - 12:36 AM
Released in October 2022 by Second Dinner Studios, Marvel Snap is a popular digital collectible card game featuring iconic Marvel characters. Marvel Snap attracted a large fan base as a result of its relationship with Marvel and its emphasis on quick card matches, strategic depth, and casual accessibility. In its first year on app stores, the game earned more than $116 million in mobile revenue, with December 2022 being its most profitable month at $13.8 million.
The game was suddenly removed from the App Store and Google Play Store on January 18, 2025, along with TikTok and other games published by ByteDance and the company’s subsidiaries. A law referred to as Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, designated H.R.7521 was put into effect, outlawing the distribution and maintenance of applications provided by companies that originate from countries Washington considers adversaries. This included China, which rendered TikTok and other ByteDance related digital properties illegal under the ruling. ByteDance’s ownership of TikTok has raised concerns in multiple countries due to its ties to Chinese laws requiring companies to cooperate with government data requests. This makes the app a potential data privacy and national security issue for nations who distrust the Chinese government.
President Donald Trump delayed the ban’s permanency shortly after TikTok’s removal. Upon taking office on January 20, he signed an executive order granting a 75-day extension for TikTok to find a suitable buyer. He proposed a joint venture model to the company that would in give the U.S. 50% ownership stake in TikTok. If the proposal is accepted, this would negate the data privacy concerns surrounding TikTok and its ties to the Chinese Government.
Other games removed as a result of the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act were not directly mentioned in President Trump’s executive order, leading fans of mobile games like Marvel Snap and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang to wonder if the games would remain inactive in America. Marvel Snap fans were pleased the announcement of the game’s return last night when Second Dinner stated that it was “back online in the United States.” The message informed users that the company is now on the search for a new publisher after presumably leaving behind Nuverse, a ByteDance subsidiary.
Despite the announcement’s assurances that Marvel Snap is back online, it appears that the process of restoring the game to both the App Store and Google Play Store has not been as simple as planned. Second Dinner addressed the game’s absence on stores via a post on the company’s official X (formerly Twitter) account. The post states that while the game is playable for existing downloads, available on the Online Web Shop, and up on Steam, in-app purchases and mobile app store downloads are still unavailable at the moment.
Thank you all for your continued patience as we work on restoring MARVEL SNAP to the App Stores.
When we have more information we’ll be sure to share it with you all.
✅Playable for existing downloads
✅Web Shop Online
✅Available on Steam
⌛️In-App Purchases
⌛️Available in…— Second Dinner (@seconddinner) January 23, 2025
These issues are likely to be sorted out in time as Second Dinner attempts to get Marvel Snap back in complete working order. When restored, Marvel Snap should be available to play for free on both iOS and Android devices.
