The extremely popular collectible card game Marvel Snap suddenly became inaccessible to United States users following the TikTok ban due to the implementation of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA). Here's the message that greets anyone who tries to log in (also available on social channels):
Unfortunately, MARVEL SNAP is temporarily unavailable on U.S. stores and is unavailable to play in the U.S. In a surprise to Second Dinner and our publisher Nuverse, MARVEL SNAP was affected by the takedown of TikTok late on Saturday, January 18th.
MARVEL SNAP isn't going anywhere. We're actively working on getting the game up as soon as possible and will update you once we have more to share.
The reason is pretty straightforward: TikTok creator ByteDance owns Nuverse, the publisher of the game. All apps owned by ByteDance were banned, including Marvel Snap. However, since the game itself isn't related to TikTok at all, there may be enough wiggle room for them to restore service.
Developed by Second Dinner, the free-to-play game launched in October 2022 for Windows PC, Android, and iOS devices. It featured over 170 Marvel characters on release, and the roster has greatly increased over time due to weekly additions.
Gameplay in Marvel Snap isn't too complicated. Each player has a deck of 12 cards, each one representing a Marvel character with a cost, power level, and possibly a special ability. At the beginning of each round, players simultaneously place one or more cards face down in one of three locations. The locations are randomly assigned for each game, and each location has a unique associated effect. At the end of each round, the cards are revealed and their special abilities are triggered. Whoever has the highest power in a given location wins that location; the goal is to win two of the three locations.
Its relative simplicity won over many fans. Last we heard, Marvel Snap had over 22 million players and has earned more than $200 million in revenue since launch.
