Y'all, where did 2025 go? I remember sitting here at this same desk, telling everybody how I couldn't wait to get Grand Theft Auto 6 in my hands. That's just one indicator of how the year often unfolds way differently than we planned. In December, App Trigger is taking a look back at the stories that defined the year in gaming. Longtime readers will remember some of these, while others are hearing about them for the first time. Either way, join us as we walk down memory lane, won't you?
"That's weird, I can't log into Marvel Snap." I was in a group chat with some gamer friends when we noticed none of us could get into our favorite online card battler. After a quick online check, I realized we weren't alone and ended up clocking into work at around midnight on a random January Saturday.
Several popular games and apps, including Marvel Snap and Mobile Legends Bang Bang, were unintended casualties of the temporary ban due to ties with TikTok parent company ByteDance. Marvel Snap Developer Second Dinner entered a new US publishing arrangement with Skystone Games, publisher of titles including Undying, Hellcard, and Tyrant's Realm.
It was a weird but fun time as we said goodbye to our "Chinese spies" on the app, and in some cases even started learning Chinese to use other social media apps. A group of U.S. investors, including Oracle founder Larry Ellison, will control the majority stake in TikTok's US operations, with ByteDance retaining around 20 percent control.
Marvel Snap, Mobile Legends Bang Bang and the other apps affected by the short-lived ban quickly regained their footing, with gamers earning a few rewards for the brief downtime. We're still learning what this new TikTok will be like, but it hopefully won't lead to any more inconvenient glitches with our games.