Marvel Snap Abruptly Shut Down and Removed from App Store

Marvel Snap has been abruptly removed from the App Store and shut down in the United States and the reason may surprise you. Although Marvel Rivals is the dominate Marvel-centric video game right now, Marvel Snap is another massively popular online game centered around some of the world’s most beloved superheroes. The game is a digital card game and allows players to utilize their favorite heroes and villains to battle other players who have their own deck of Marvel icons. Like any other card game of its kind, Marvel Snap is fast-paced fun. It prides itself on short matches, ensuring players are constantly engaged.

It’s one of the most popular mobile games out there and it’s even available on PC platforms like Steam. However, Marvel Snap fans were surprised on the evening of January 18th when they went to go play the game and it was no longer available. Marvel Snap has been officially removed from the various App Stores and is no longer playable in the United States. As of right now, it can still be acquired on Steam, but we would expect that it will likely be removed soon. Marvel Snap is unplayable on Steam regardless. The ban wasn’t telegraphed to anyone and has come as a surprise to fans across the United States. When the game is launched, a message greets players.

“A law banning Marvel Snap has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use Marvel Snap for now. Rest assured, we’re working to restore our service in the U.S. Please stay tuned!”

Why Is Marvel Snap Banned?

The reason for the Marvel Snap ban is because the developer, Nuverse, is owned by ByteDance, the owners of TikTok. In case you missed it, TikTok was also banned in the United States due to national security concerns. Chinese company ByteDance was offered an ultimatum by the United States to sell off its various properties to American entities or face being shut down in the country. Unfortunately, ByteDance didn’t budge and TikTok, Marvel Snap, and a few other apps have shut down in the United States for the time being. However, it is expected that this will all be temporary and things may return as soon as this coming week.

TikTok has noted that it is working with President-elect Donald Trump to figure out a solution to unban the apps. Trump will be inaugurated on Monday, January 20th and he’s expected to begin working on an extension for ByteDance to prevent a ban almost immediately.