In a significant shift for the mobile gaming industry, popular titles such as Marvel Snap and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang are transitioning to a new publisher. ByteDance, previously responsible for these games in the US, will no longer handle their releases. Instead, US-based Skystone Games is stepping in to manage new, region-specific versions of these games.
The backdrop to this change was the earlier buzz around the TikTok ban, which led to the voluntary offlining of the app. While much of the discourse focused on the broader implications, the mobile gaming community was particularly concerned with the abrupt removal of top games from app stores. This action was a result of intense political pressure aimed at ByteDance to divest from its social media platform.
Although TikTok has since returned online, many of the affected games, including Marvel Snap, did not experience a swift reinstatement. Marvel Snap quickly moved to secure a new publisher, ultimately partnering with Skystone Games. Skystone now holds the rights to nearly all of ByteDance's US-published games.
This unexpected involvement in political drama was certainly not anticipated in the mobile gaming world this year. For players, this shift is likely to be welcomed, as it ensures continued access to their favorite games, either through ongoing play or new US-specific versions.
However, the situation is far from ideal. The notion that beloved games can become pawns in political battles is unsettling for both developers and gamers alike. As the deadline for a potential TikTok sale approaches, the mobile gaming industry watches closely, aware that similar scenarios could have severe repercussions in the future.
