Marvel Snap has also been banned in the US following the TikTok shutdown

On By Littum

While many expected the US to shut down TikTok within its borders if parent company ByteDance didn’t sell it to a Western buyer, it was a bit more of a surprise when Marvel Snap went dark, as its publisher is also owned by the same company.

TikTok officially went offline for those in the US on Saturday, January 18, just hours before the January 19 deadline set by the US’s divestment-or-ban law. Users trying to access TikTok in the US are now met with a message saying they can’t use the app right now. As it turns out, Marvel Snap players within the country’s borders get a similar note.

“Sorry, Marvel Snap is not available right now,” says the message when you try to open the app. “A law banning Marvel Snap has been passed in the U.S. Unfortunately, this means you can’t use Marvel Snap right now. Rest assured, we’re working to restore our service in the U.S. Stay tuned!”

For those who didn’t know, Marvel Snap was developed by Second Dinner and was published by ByteDance-owned publisher Nuverse, which is what led to the ban.

Ben Brode, Chief Development Officer of Second Dinner and co-founder, went to BlueSky to discuss the ban and note that it was also a surprise to them.

“Unfortunately, Marvel Snap is temporarily unavailable in US app stores and is not available to play in the US. This was a surprise to Second Dinner and our publisher Nuverse,” Brode wrote. “We are actively working to get the game up as soon as possible and will update you when we have more to share.”

Brode also offered some advice for those who miss Marvel-themed card games, saying that VPN can be their new best friend.

“FWIW I hear VPN software will allow you to continue playing Marvel Snap in the meantime as long as you pretend you’re from Canada or something,” Brode said.

For more, check out our Marvel Snap review while you await its hopeful return!

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Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and further TikTok.