Fans of the digital card game MARVEL SNAP in the United States found themselves unable to access their beloved game. This disruption directly resulted from the broader implications of a new U.S. law aimed at restricting apps linked to ByteDance, the Chinese tech conglomerate behind TikTok. Here’s what happened, and what’s happening now.
On Saturday night, MARVEL SNAP—a game developed by the California-based studio Second Dinner and published by ByteDance’s gaming arm, Nuverse—went offline in the U.S. Players were greeted with messages stating the game was unavailable due to a new federal law, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. This law, which was upheld by a unanimous Supreme Court ruling, effectively bans apps controlled by entities from countries deemed adversaries by the U.S., with ByteDance specifically in the crosshairs due to its ownership of TikTok.
By Monday evening, Second Dinner had managed to bring MARVEL SNAP back online for U.S. users. In a statement shared across social media platforms and visible in-game, the team expressed relief and gratitude:
MARVEL SNAP is back online in the U.S. But to make sure this NEVER happens again, we’re working to bring more services in-house and partner with a new publisher. This is the start of a new era for MARVEL SNAP.
Although the game is now playable for U.S. users, it’s still missing from the App Store as of January 21st. However, those using Google Play or Steam can continue to enjoy or even start playing MARVEL SNAP.
The fallout from this law wasn’t limited to MARVEL SNAP. Other ByteDance-owned apps like CapCut, Lemon8, and TikTok itself were also affected, leading to a temporary blackout in the U.S. market. TikTok managed to restore its service within roughly half a day, but like MARVEL SNAP, it remains absent from U.S. app stores, indicating ongoing legal and logistical challenges.
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