On the evening of January 18, 2025, numerous Marvel Snap players encountered an unexpected disruption as they logged into the app. A notification informed them that the game had been banned in the United States, rendering it inaccessible for downloads and logins. While the anticipated ban of TikTok had received extensive media attention, the sudden prohibition of Marvel Snap took many by surprise. The ban notification closely resembled the TikTok one, indicating that Marvel Snap had fallen victim to a similar fate.
Reasons Behind Marvel Snap’s Extended Downtime
Understanding the Marvel Snap Ban
The ban of Marvel Snap and TikTok stemmed from the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA), legislation enacted by Congress in April 2024. This act prohibits specific mobile applications from being available in the United States if they are identified as national security threats, particularly those owned by “foreign adversaries.”The law explicitly names ByteDance Ltd., the Chinese parent company of TikTok and NuVerse (the publisher of Marvel Snap).
Essentially, Congress labeled Marvel Snap as a national security risk due to alleged data collection practices linked to the Chinese government—claims that TikTok has contested. Consequently, this prompted the temporary shutdown of multiple ByteDance-managed applications in the U.S., including TikTok, Marvel Snap, Lemon8, and CapCut.
Following President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement granting ByteDance a 90-day extension on its divestiture, many of these applications gradually resumed functionality within a day. However, the restoration of Marvel Snap was delayed, likely due to the unexpected nature of the ban for its development team based in the U.S.
Unfortunately, MARVEL SNAP is temporarily unavailable in U.S. app stores and is unavailable to play in the U.S. This outage is a surprise to us and wasn’t planned. MARVEL SNAP isn’t going anywhere. We’re actively working on getting the game up as soon as possible and will — Second Dinner (@seconddinner) January 19, 2025
In an update via X (formerly Twitter), Second Dinner, the studio behind Marvel Snap, confirmed the surprise outage, reassuring players that it was not permanent. By January 20, the game was operational again, though issues with download availability and in-app purchases continued. At the time of writing, players still found Marvel Snap missing from the Google Play and Apple App Store in the U.S., causing notable disruptions.
Impact of the TikTok Ban on Marvel Snap
Consequences for Rewards and Login Bonuses
Similar to many mobile games, Marvel Snap features limited-time events. The latest event, the Dark Avengers Season Pass, encourages players to complete specific challenges to earn exclusive rewards such as cards and cosmetics. Achieving this requires regular logins and continuous engagement; however, with the sudden outage, many players found themselves hindered in their progress.
Some players invest in a premium version of the Season Pass for better rewards, and the unexpected ban led to missed opportunities. Particularly frustrating was the interruption of the daily login bonus program, where players gain rewards for consecutive days of play. Unfortunately, the ban reset many players’ streaks, effectively erasing their earned progress towards more substantial rewards.
During this downtime, we realize that many of you are missing out on time-based content, rewards, and Missions. Second Dinner is committed to ensuring that all players are compensated for their lost time. We’ll be sharing more information on this as the situation evolves. — Second Dinner (@seconddinner) January 19, 2025
While no compensation has yet been officially provided for the players affected during the outage, Second Dinner has stated their intention to address this matter. Players are encouraged to monitor the studio’s social media updates for potential solutions or rewards for their lost playtime.
Steps Marvel Snap Is Taking to Resolve the Issue
Second Dinner’s Initiative for a New Publishing Arrangement
In response to the recent outage, the developers at Second Dinner are proactively pursuing measures to avert similar future incidents. They announced via X that they are currently seeking a new publisher to replace NuVerse, the ByteDance-owned entity. Additionally, they are exploring alternatives to develop more in-house capabilities, which would ideally mitigate risk of being subjected to similar bans in the future, especially regarding PAFACA regulations.
MARVEL SNAP is back online in the U.S. But to make sure this NEVER happens again, we’re working to bring more services in-house and partner with a new publisher. This is the start of a new era for MARVEL SNAP. We know this probably leaves you with even more questions than — Second Dinner (@seconddinner) January 21, 2025
As Second Dinner continues its quest for a new publisher, further updates are anticipated. However, players can take solace in the fact that Marvel Snap is now playable again in the U.S. and is expected to reappear on app stores shortly. The developers are committed to safeguarding the game against similar disruptions moving forward.
Sources: Second Dinner/X (1, 2, 3)
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