Is Marvel Snap shutting down? Nuverse responds to ByteDance concerns
Amid reports that Chinese technology company ByteDance is planning to leave the gaming space, Marvel Snap developer Nuverse has sought to calm concerns regarding the future of the game. Taking to social media, Nuverse assured fans that Marvel SNAP “will continue to operate and flourish” despite the structural changes happening at their parent company.
Dear SNAPPERS,
— MARVEL SNAP (@MARVELSNAP) November 27, 2023
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!
Nuverse’s statement came shortly after Reuters reported that ByteDance “plans to wind down its Nuverse gaming brand and retreat from mainstream video games,” citing four unnamed sources familiar with the matter. ByteDance later confirmed “plans to restructure its gaming business after a revew” but offered no further details to Reuters.
ByteDance, best known for creating TikTok, expanded into gaming in 2019 with the creation of Nuverse. But the company’s attempt to take on domestic rival Tencent Holdings, the largest gaming company in the world, fell short with many of its games failing to gain major traction.
Marvel SNAP is probably one of Nuverse’s better known games. Although it has a fairly decent following, it has not been a massive commercial hit. Nuverse’s other games, like One Piece: The Voyage and Crystal of Atland, have been a mixed bag.
It’s a bit unclear why Marvel SNAP will be unaffected by the changes at Nuverse, but players can rest easy knowing the fast-paced card battle game isn’t going anywhere for the foreseeable future. Of course, this is the gaming industry we are talking about and these sorts of things can change on the fly.
Released in 2022, Marvel Snap is a digital collectible card battling game featuring characters from the Marvel Universe. Upon release, the game was met with enthusiastic response for its approachable gameplay design that’s both fast-paced and fairly simple to learn. Although the mechanics aren’t too overly complex, they do allow for some interesting strategies and replayability. The game features microtransactions for its business model, but doesn’t necessarily prey on its players like other free-to-play games.