In a perfect Avengers homage, Marvel Snap has blipped back into existence in the US, and it's looking for a new publisher "to make sure this NEVER happens again"

Cropped Marvel Snap key art showing Wolverine, America Chavez, and Venom. — (Image credit: Second Dinner)

After a "surprise" outage, Marvel Snap has returned from its brief blip in the U.S. after being briefly snapped out of existence at the same time as TikTok, and its developer is taking measures – including searching for a new publisher – "to make sure this NEVER happens again."

In a statement over the weekend, Marvel Snap developer Second Dinner acknowledged that the card game had become totally unplayable in the U.S., noting that the outage was "a surprise to us and wasn't planned," but the team was "actively working on getting the game up as soon as possible." While it wasn't confirmed at the time, it seemed likely that the game could have been affected due to the fact that it's published by Nuverse, which is owned by ByteDance – also the parent company of TikTok. Despite the TikTok ban being overturned in a matter of hours, however, Marvel Snap remained down for longer, but it's finally back, coming full circle on what feels like a very apt Avengers homage.

"Marvel Snap is back online in the U.S.," a new tweet from Second Dinner reads. "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."

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…January 21, 2025

The developer acknowledges that "this probably leaves you with even more questions than answers," but promises to "update with more information as soon as possible!" For now, it appears that in-app purchases still aren't working, although Second Dinner says, "the team is working on it," and web shop purchases are still fully functional.

If you're a dedicated Marvel Snap player, the good news is that even before the game came back online, Second Dinner promised that it was "committed to ensuring that all players are compensated for their lost time" when it comes to the "time-based content, rewards, and Missions" they couldn't access. It's not yet clear how the devs plan to make it up to anyone affected, but rest assured that it's definitely happening in some form or another.

While you're here, be sure to check out our roundup of new games releasing this year and beyond.

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I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.