Marvel Snap game shuts down due to TikTok ban

Don’t blame Thanos: “Marvel Snap” is a victim of the US government’s move to ban TikTok over fears of its parent company’s Chinese ties.

It’s not just TikTok that flashed offline to US users on Saturday, hours before the January 19 deadline specified by the US divestment-or-ban law targeting TikTok. At least 10 other ByteDance-owned apps were also disabled and removed from app stores Saturday night due to a U.S. law that prohibits them from being distributed in the country unless the Beijing-based company sold apps — including “Marvel Snap,” a digital collectible card game featuring characters from the Disney-owned studio.

On Saturday night, “Marvel Snap,” developed by Second Dinner and published by ByteDance’s Nuverse gaming division, was pulled from the Apple and Google app stores. The app also displayed a message to US players that the game was temporarily unavailable.

“Unfortunately, MARVEL SNAP is temporarily unavailable in US app stores and is not available to play in the US,” Second Dinner said in a declaration posted on X late Saturday. “As a surprise to Second Dinner and our publisher Nuverse, MARVEL SNAP was affected by the TikTok takedown late Saturday, January 18th. MARVEL SNAP is not going anywhere. We are actively working to get the game up as soon as possible and will update you when we have more to share.”

“Marvel Snap” was released in October 2022. Marvel describes played like this: “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.” “

SEE ALSO: TikTok shuts down in the US: What happens next?

Apple issued a message on Saturday about the “availability of TikTok and ByteDance Ltd. apps in the United States,” explaining that the apps are no longer available in the country.

“Apple is committed to following the laws of the jurisdictions in which it operates,” says the message. “Pursuant to the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, apps developed by ByteDance Ltd. and its subsidiaries – including TikTok, CapCut, Lemon8 and others – will no longer be available for download or updates in the App Store for users in the United States as of 19 . January 2025.”

The following apps developed by ByteDance and its subsidiaries are affected: TikTok, TikTok Studio, TikTok Shop Seller Center, CapCut, Lemon8, Hypic, Lark – Team Collaboration, Lark – Rooms Display, Lark Rooms Controller, Gauth: AI Study Companion and Marvel Snap.

According to Apple’s announcement, apps will remain on users’ devices if they are already installed. But “they cannot be re-downloaded if deleted or restored if you move to a new device. In-app purchases and new subscriptions are no longer possible.” In addition, “US users will not receive updates to these apps, which could potentially affect performance, security, and compatibility with future versions of iOS and iPadOS, and some app features may be limited or stop working because the app may” not receive updates. “

The US divestment or ban law, which was upheld by a unanimous Supreme Court ruling on Friday, imposes fines of $5,000 on companies that host or distribute ByteDance-controlled apps. user (per app). The Biden administration had said it would not enforce the ban and that it would be up to President-elect Donald Trump, who was to be sworn in on January 20, to decide how to do so. But TikTok said it was “forced” to shut down without a guarantee that partners such as Apple and Google would not be subject to the hefty fines.

Trump told NBC News in an interview Saturday that he would “most likely” order a 90-day extension beyond the Jan. 19 date that requires ByteDance to divest TikTok and other apps as his administration tries to reach a viable solution. However, under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, the US president must certify to Congress that there are “relevant binding legal agreements” for the ByteDance divestitures for an extension to be granted – and there are no known such agreements in place.