TikTok’s ByteDance to reportedly ditch ‘Marvel Snap’ publisher Nuverse in restructure

It’s been reported that TikTok owner ByteDance is set to move away from mainstream gaming, with Marvel Snap publisher Nuverse being restructured.

• READ MORE: ‘Marvel Snap’ review: superhero showdown

Over the past 18 months, TikTok has been giving gaming a bigger platform on the video-sharing app by launching a dedicated gaming channel on the homepage alongside special, gaming events and a series of its own mini-games. TikTok’s owner ByteDance also launched games publisher Nuverse in 2019, which is behind mobile card game Marvel Snap and Warhammer 40,000: Lost Crusade, and acquired a number of external studios including C4games in 2021.

In March, Nuverse announced it would be publishing Dragonheir: Silent Gods, a high-fantasy open-world game that’s being developed by SGRA Studio, which was released last month.

However, a new report from Reuters suggests that ByteDance will be pivoting away from gaming with Nuverse set to be wound down over the next few months. “We regularly review our businesses and make adjustments to centre on long-term strategic growth areas. Following a recent review, we’ve made the difficult decision to restructure our gaming business,” said a ByteDance spokesperson.

Earlier this month, ByteDance cut almost a quarter of its staff at virtual-reality arm Pico.

A number of different sources told Reuters that Nuverse employees will be told to stop working on unreleased games by December, as it looks for ways to divest from previously launched titles. It’s reported that casual games on TikTok will not be affected by the restructure.

Marvel Snap is developed by Second Dinner and was released late last year. In a five-star review, NME wrote: “Simple, nuanced, design makes Marvel Snap an essential play not just for card game fans but for anyone that might have a few minutes to kill. It won’t turn every player into a card shark, but it’s bound to win fans in unusual places, and with a low barrier to entry you’re really only hurting yourself if you don’t give it a go.”

Since its release, Second Dinner has added artists credits and multiplayer to the title.

In other news, Bloober Team, the developers behind the highly anticipated Silent Hill 2 Remake, have asked for “patience” over the upcoming title.

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