ByteDance Shifts US Publishing to Skystone in Major Restructuring

In a significant shift for mobile gaming, popular titles such as Marvel Snap and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang are transitioning to a new publisher in the US. ByteDance, previously handling these releases, is stepping back from publishing them. The responsibility is now being taken over by Skystone Games, which will introduce new, region-specific versions of these games.

This change comes in the wake of early 2023's headline-grabbing TikTok ban, where ByteDance chose to voluntarily offline the app amidst political pressure. This decision not only affected TikTok but also led to the removal of several top-tier mobile games from app stores without warning. The political push was aimed at forcing ByteDance to divest from its social media platform, impacting numerous games in the process.

While TikTok managed to come back online, the same cannot be said for all the games that were affected. Marvel Snap, for instance, quickly sought and found a new publisher in Skystone Games, which now oversees virtually all of ByteDance's US-published mobile titles.

The unexpected entanglement of mobile gaming with political maneuvers was certainly not anticipated. For gamers, this transition to Skystone Games is promising, as it ensures continuity of play or the introduction of tailored US versions of their favorite games.

However, this scenario is less than ideal, as it underscores the vulnerability of our beloved games to political decisions. As the deadline for a potential TikTok sale approaches, the broader implications for apps and games from the same publisher remain uncertain. This situation could set a precedent for future challenges in the mobile gaming industry.