The Unpredictable Marvel Snap: What Lies Ahead

Highlights

Marvel Snap has become a popular card game since its release a year ago, attracting new players with its accessible gameplay and gradually revealing hidden complexities.

The game utilizes a seasonal structure, akin to Fortnite, where players can access monthly Battle Passes containing card variants with cosmetic enhancements, new cards, and adjustments to game balance.

Marvel Snap has the potential to elevate its triumph by venturing into the console realm, tapping into the console market's demand for card games, as demonstrated by the popularity of titles like Hearthstone on mobile devices.

On October 18, 2022, Marvel Snap made its debut and has been continuously growing in popularity ever since. Inspired by popular card games like Gwent and Hearthstone, Marvel Snap not only appeals to new players with its easy-to-understand gameplay, but also captivates them with its gradually revealed layers of complexity.

However, the appeal of Marvel Snap extends beyond its gameplay. Similar to games like Fortnite, Marvel Snap operates on a seasonal system, offering players a new Battle Pass each month. This Battle Pass provides players with themed cosmetic variants of cards, as well as new cards and game balance adjustments. With each update, Marvel Snap improves, but there is one major advancement that it still needs to achieve.

Marvel Snap Should Come to Consoles

Card games on home consoles are still relatively uncommon, despite their potential for popularity. While they may not be as widely embraced as AAA first-party blockbusters, card games can still achieve significant success. An example of this is Hearthstone, which remains one of the most popular mobile games with over 100 million registered players and nearly 100,000 online players at any given time. Surprisingly, Hearthstone has never been made available on consoles, including the popular handheld Nintendo Switch.

Since games like Hearthstone and Runeterra are not yet on consoles and do not appear to be arriving soon, there is an opportunity for Marvel Snap to fill this void. Marvel Snap has maintained its success, with the PC version consistently attracting an average of around 7000 players since its launch almost a year ago, as reported by Steam Charts. While mobile statistics for Marvel Snap are not readily accessible, it is reasonable to assume that the game has also retained a high player count in that platform. Therefore, it is a logical progression for Marvel Snap to expand its reach and bring the game to consoles.

The interface and gameplay pose the biggest challenge for Marvel Snap and other mobile card games. On PC, it is simple to click and drag cards, and the touch-screen on mobile devices makes it even easier. However, finding an intuitive control system for a card game on consoles is not an easy task. Nevertheless, Marvel Snap's roadmap mentions upcoming controller support for PC, potentially facilitating a smooth transition to consoles.

Although it is rare for a mobile card game to be available on consoles, it has been done before. Gwent serves as a significant example, having been released on PC and consoles long before its mobile version. Additionally, consoles are home to numerous exceptional card games like Slay the Spire and Inscryption, which were designed specifically for these platforms. While Marvel Snap is currently enjoying success on mobile and PC, it would be exciting to see the game make its way to consoles in the future.

Marvel Snap is available on Android, iOS, and PC.