By Sagar V. Mankar 
Marvel Snap, the popular digital trading card game, is back online in the U.S. after a brief ban. The game, developed by Second Dinner, was temporarily taken down due to its publisher, Nuverse, being linked to TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance.
TikTok faced a ban on January 19 over national security concerns, which indirectly affected Marvel Snap and other games linked to it. While TikTok was restored after 14 hours, Marvel Snap took slightly longer to return.
Second Dinner announced the game’s comeback on January 21, calling it “the start of a new era for Marvel Snap.” The announcement, shared on social media platform X, also revealed plans to find a new publisher [of course other than Chinese] and bring more services under the U.S.-based developer’s control. This step aims to prevent future disruptions [seeing the rising tension between the U.S. & China] and ensure a smoother experience for players.
Marvel Snap first launched in 2022, quickly gaining popularity for its fast-paced gameplay and iconic Marvel characters, including Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Thor. The game has received generally favorable reviews on Metacritic with Metascore of 85 based on 27 critic reviews. The user score is mixed or average, with a rating of 6.6 based on 114 user ratings.
The game has been praised for its strategic depth and engaging gameplay, but some users have expressed concerns about monetization and bugs.
Sources: Second Dinner’s official announcement on X