The temporary suspension of TikTok's US operations on January 19th unexpectedly impacted Marvel Snap, the popular card game published by Nuverse (a ByteDance subsidiary). This disruption, lasting approximately 24 hours, resulted in the game becoming briefly inaccessible. While Marvel Snap is now back online, in-app purchases remain unavailable, and full functionality is still being restored.
This incident prompted Second Dinner Studios, the game's developer, to explore a publisher change and transition certain services to internal management, as announced on Platform X. This proactive measure aims to mitigate future disruptions stemming from the inherent political risks associated with TikTok's uncertain US future. TikTok's 90-day extension to sell a 50% stake to a US entity leaves the app, and consequently Marvel Snap, vulnerable to further blockades should the sale fail.
Second Dinner Studios has promised further updates. While many users reported authorization problems, Steam users experienced minimal disruption. The sudden outage, coupled with the lack of prior warning, caused significant frustration, particularly for players who made in-game purchases before the shutdown. Second Dinner expressed surprise at the event and emphasized their commitment to restoring full service, stating on Platform X: "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."
