The message from both Apple and Google is clear. They don't think TikTok is going anywhere soon. Both companies have reinstated the app in their stores after a looming ban has faded from the front pages.
They received letters from the Justice Department informing them they wouldn't be fined for doing so. Initially supportive of a ban Joe Biden signed into law in April, President Donald Trump reversed course after the app and its millions of young users helped him defeat Biden in the election.
TikTok Chief Executive Shou Chew attended Trump's inauguration as his guest. The law Biden signed gave two alternatives: divest to an American company or face a ban. Current bidders range from Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt to YouTube phenom Mr. Beast.
When TikTok went dark in January, there were several unintended effects in the gaming and content creation spaces. Numerous other apps connected to TikTok parent company ByteDance were drawn into the maelstrom including the wildly popular card game Marvel Snap and video editing program Capcut.
Developer Second Dinner got a new publisher in Skystone Games, which recently released the roguelike Tyrant's Realm. ByteDance had invested heavily in its game publishing arm Nuverse but has decided to get out of the gaming business. After the ban fiasco, that's just fine with a lot of its employees.
Nuverse sought a foothold in the lucrative Chinese gaming market, but couldn't make significant inroads against giants Tencent and NetEase Games. The two companies comprise more than half of China's gaming revenue.