ByteDance is transferring US publishing to Skystone in major shake-up

In a significant shift within the mobile gaming industry, popular titles such as Marvel Snap and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang are transitioning to a new publisher. ByteDance, the previous publisher, will no longer handle these releases in the US. Instead, Skystone Games, a US-based company, is stepping in to manage these games, introducing new region-specific versions tailored for American players.

Earlier this year, the spotlight was on the TikTok ban, which led to a voluntary offlining of the app. However, in the mobile gaming sector, the real shock came from the sudden removal of top games from app stores, often without warning to developers or players. This action was part of a broader political push to pressure ByteDance into divesting from its social media platform.

While TikTok has since returned, many of the affected games did not experience such a swift recovery. Marvel Snap, for instance, quickly sought and found a new publisher in Skystone Games, which now oversees virtually all of ByteDance's previously US-published titles.

For mobile gamers, this transition is a welcome development, ensuring continued access to their favorite games, either as usual or through US-specific versions. However, the underlying issue of games being caught in political crossfires is unsettling for both players and developers.

As the deadline for a potential TikTok sale approaches, the industry watches closely to see how political decisions will impact apps and, by extension, the games published by the same companies. The recent events serve as a stark reminder of the potential risks and disruptions that can arise from such situations.