Marvel Snap game banned in US alongside TikTok

Hours after TikTok went dark in the United States (US), the popular mobile game Marvel Snap was also banned in the country.

The game was banned under the law titled, “Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” which bans the distribution and maintenance of applications offered by foreign companies in the US.

Marvel Snap was developed by California-based Second Dinner and published by Nuverse, a subsidiary of TikTok owner ByteDance.

When attempting to open the app, a message to US players shows that the game was temporarily unavailable.

It is worth noting here that apart from TikTok and Marvel Snap, the US authorities also removed at least 10 other ByteDance-owned apps from Google and Apple app stores

“Unfortunately, MARVEL SNAP is temporarily unavailable in U.S. app stores and is unavailable to play in the U.S.,” Second Dinner wrote in a post on X.

“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 developer added.

Released in October 2022, the game is described as: “The fastest card battler in the Multiverse is here! Assemble your Marvel dream team from a super roster of your favorite heroes and villains — then make your move. MARVEL SNAP unleashes the entire Marvel Universe into a fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping, strategic card battler.”

Meanwhile, US President-elect Donald Trump said that he would “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from the ban after he takes office on Monday, a promise TikTok cited in a notice posted to users on the app.