Marvel Snap’s future has been thrown into uncertainty following news that its publisher is choosing to abandon its gaming projects. Despite that, Marvel Snap developer Second Dinner has assured fans the game has a future.
Marvel Snap fans were greeted with worrying news today as reports have come out that its publisher ByteDance is pulling out of gaming. Bytedance, the owner of TikTok, has decided to wind down its gaming arm Nuverse, specifically.
This report came from Reuters who spoke to Bytedance about the move away from gaming, following losses from the division. This includes the assessment that Marvel Snap “was not a commercial hit.” (It’s not immediately clear what performance indicator Reuters is basing that statement on.)
That’ll be surprising to hear for players. The game won best mobile game at The Game Awards last year and has a seemingly healthy player base. Regardless, this is obviously concerning news for players who are engaged with the game and put money into their decks.
Second Dinner says Marvel Snap isn’t going anywhere
Marvel Snap has responded to the report directly on its X/Twitter feed to alleviate fears that a shutdown is imminent. In a post, the development team at Second Dinner said: “Some of our players have expressed their concerns regarding reported structural changes at Nuverse.”
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Dear SNAPPERS, Some of our players have expressed their concerns regarding reported structural changes at Nuverse. We wish to thank you for your concern and assure you that regardless of any changes at Nuverse, SNAP will continue to operate and flourish in the future!
— MARVEL SNAP (@MARVELSNAP) November 27, 2023
“We wish to thank you for your concern and assure you that regardless of any changes at Nuverse, SNAP will continue to operate and flourish in the future!”
This suggests that the development team will continue to create meaningful content and that players shouldn’t notice a change.
The original report also suggests that Bytedance are looking to divest its currently running games. Essentially, they’ll look to sell Marvel Snap to another company. The game’s future will likely depend on it finding a new publisher.
It seems likely another company would be interested in acquiring a Marvel franchised live service game with a decent player base, but we will have to see how this shakes out in the future. Hopefully, the assurances are well-founded and players won’t have to worry about the game going under.