Marvel Snap returns after the banner on TikTok, but will it remain in this situation?

The popular digital card game Marvel Snap was unexpectedly affected by an American ban on TikTok. The game is back online now, but it may not stay that way.

The original ban, part of a law called the Foreign Influencer Content Act, began on January 19, 2025, to ban TikTok. As the publisher of Marvel Snap, Nuverse, is owned by ByteDance (which owns TikTok), the game became unavailable for players in the United States. This led to two days of lost access during which players could not play the game, causing frustration among fans. The developer, Second Dinner, stated that this loss surprised them and they were working to resolve the issue.

The future of Marvel Snap depends on ByteDance transferring (at least partially) TikTok to another company, the United States renouncing its ban, or Nuverse being sold to another company. If TikTok crashes again, Marvel Snap will too. The new administration's argument is that it is important to protect American jobs and not give them to China. As a moderator of TikTok during the COVID-19 pandemic, I know there are many American jobs at the company. However, we also knew that Germany was another place where American videos were moderated, so not all TikTok jobs are in the United States, at least during the pandemic.

The future of Marvel Snap could depend on TikTok's owners getting involved in this matter, but developers are already working to resolve the problem. Ben Brode, Second Dinner's development director, announced on the game's official Discord: "Marvel Snap is back online in the United States. But to ensure that THIS NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN, we are working to provide more internal services and partner with a new distributor." The ban will not be reintroduced for at least three months, which will allow them to make many changes, but it would take time to be visible.

When President Donald Trump became president, he signed an executive order suspending the implementation of a TikTok ban and other ByteDance apps for 75 days. This suspension allowed Marvel Snap to return to American players, but we will have to wait and see what happens when this suspension continues.