Following the closure of publisher Nuverse, Marvel Snap developer Second Dinner provided insight into the state of the game and its future by answering players’ questions on the official Marvel Snap Discord server. The Q&A, dated Nov. 29, revealed details about bugs, changes to card abilities and stats, and more.
Important points from the Marvel Snap Q&A
Bug fixes
User Dr Ouss asked how the developer deals with bug reports, especially bugs that affect gameplay, like when card abilities don’t work properly. There are multiple examples of bugged cards in Marvel Snap right now, like when Phoenix Force interacts with Multiple Man. Phoenix Force should give Multiple Man and his copies the ability to move once per turn when they revive, but currently, only the original Multiple Man gains the movement ability.
Marvel Snap principal game designer Glenn Jones explained that bug reports fall to the QA team, both through reports on Discord or Twitter and via the in-game menu. Jones further clarified the team’s bug-fixing procedures and confirmed the Phoenix Force fix will go live in the next patch, scheduled for Dec. 5.
Bugs that affect gameplay should be fixed right away, especially if they result in players losing games. If you’re ahead on the board but lose to a game-breaking bug, it’s incredibly frustrating. Players are certainly glad to hear about the Phoenix Force fix, but it’s clear developer Second Dinner needs to continue stepping up its game when it comes to fixing Marvel Snap’s other bugs.
Card stat and ability changes
Other fans asked about stat changes for certain cards, particularly for the game’s newest addition, Martyr. The one-Cost, four-Power card has been making waves since it released on Nov. 18, because of its unusual drawback ability that makes the card move to a Location that makes its user lose the game. Originally, Martyr was a two-Cost, six-Power card, but the developer changed her stats when the card launched.
“We wanted to pick a value that meant she actually was a threat to move,” Jones said. “For example, we playtested a lot with 2/6 and found it was far too common that 2/6 would win any location Martyr moved to, thus never moving.” Some fans, however, still consider Martyr a useless card because of her ability, despite Jones’ explanation.
User Groovymango, on the other hand, asked how Second Dinner balances cards’ Power and abilities, particularly when it comes to vanilla cards’ stat lines. Jones explained that lower-Cost cards need to “compete” with higher-cost cards. He explained that most vanilla cards are there to help “onboard” new players, but in competitive play, cards like Patriot and High Evolutionary bring out their full potential.
Stat lines play a very important role in Marvel Snap, since players’ main objective is to have the most Power at two or more locations after the final turn. While the developer is usually careful about striking a balance between beginner-friendly gameplay and competitive strategy, it almost seems pointless to make a card with a downside as disruptive as Martyr. The fact that Martyr can make you lose the game speaks for itself, and players online are understandably frustrated.
Marvel Snap is moving “awesomely” forward
With the recent news about Chinese tech company ByteDance shutting down Nuverse, the community understandably had questions—and its future. Marvel Snap creator and Second Dinner chief development officer Ben Brode was quick to step in, assuring players that the game “is going nowhere.”
“Definitely a lot up in the air right now, and we’d be super sad to hear if our friends at Nuverse are negatively impacted,” Brode said. “But none of it will affect our ability to make Marvel Snap maximally awesome.”
According to its website, Marvel Snap developer Second Dinner is an “award-winning independent game studio” based in California. The studio should be safe even without Nuverse, as Second Dinner could either operate and market the game by itself, or look for another publisher. The second option could be the easiest choice, though, given Marvel Snap’s immense popularity, as it now has over 22 million downloads on iOS and Android.
