While many expected the United States to shut TikTok down 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 obscure because its publisher is also owned by the same company.
TikTok officially stopped being available to users in the US on Saturday, January 18, just hours before the January 19 deadline set by US divestiture or prohibition law. Users trying to access TikTok in the US are now greeted with a message that they cannot operate the app at this time. As it turns out, Marvel Snap players within the country receive a similar note.
“Sorry, Marvel Snap is currently unavailable,” a message appears when you try to open the app. “There is a law in the US banning the use of Marvel Snap. Unfortunately, this means you can’t use Marvel Snap for now. Please rest assured that we are working to restore our service in the US. Stay alert!”
For those unaware, Marvel Snap was developed by Second Dinner and published by ByteDance-owned publisher Nuverse, which is what led to the ban.
Ben Brode, Chief Development Officer and Co-Founder of Second Dinner, took to BlueSky to discuss the ban and say that it was a surprise for them too.
“Unfortunately, Marvel Snap is temporarily unavailable in the US app stores and cannot be played in the US. This was a surprise for Second Dinner and our publisher Nuverse,” Brode wrote. “We are actively working to release the game as soon as possible and will let you know when we have more to share.”
Brode also gave some advice to those who miss the Marvel-themed card game, saying that a VPN could be their novel best friend.
“FWIW I heard VPN software will let you continue playing Marvel Snap in the meantime, as long as you pretend you’re from Canada or something,” Brode said.
For more information, read our Marvel Snap review while waiting for its hopeful return!
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Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and beyond TikTok.
