MARVEL SNAP’s Foundational Focus
It’s 2026 and we want to share where we’re headed this year. It starts with strengthening the game’s foundation—like the Future Foundation. MARVEL SNAP’s core systems are overdue for some work under the hood, and this is the year we do it. Our goal is simple: build a more stable, more responsive, and more efficient game with fewer crashes, fewer bugs, and more room to build a bright future full of bigger and better stuff for you to enjoy.
2025’s Big Pivot
If you were around last January, you probably remember the U.S. downtime, aka The Snappening. That was a turning point for us. We realized that if we wanted the great power of supporting Snap and the community for years to come, we had to take on the great responsibility of publishing the game ourselves.
We got a lot of “Okay but what does a publisher actually do?” questions. In short, the studio builds the game. The publisher helps the game succeed through marketing, distribution, customer support, and the web shop. When we stepped into this role, we had to build all of that for ourselves.
Taking that on was huge. We had to create brand-new teams across support, marketing, and built our own web shop, and more. Even with a team full of experienced people, every one of those new “publisher” pieces came with its own challenges, and we had to figure out what made sense for Snap.
Last year was one of transition and we didn’t deliver in the ways we wished we had. We fell short of both your and our own expectations in certain areas last year. From the Kid Omega pricing and communication, Web Shop complications, and overall technical performance, to list a few. But by the end of 2025, it finally felt like we had our feet under us again, and we were ready to sprint into 2026. Moving forward, we want to be sure Snap remains your forever game.
It Wasn’t Only Publishing Work
The cards are the whole game. They’re the heart of MARVEL SNAP.
Last year we added around 100 new cards, and the goal wasn’t just “more cards.” We wanted each one to feel like it had its own job, not just float around as filler.
We learned a few big things:
- Players want new gameplay. Whether it’s weird rules in limited-time modes or brand-new mechanics, players are hungry for things that feel fresh, not just slightly different numbers.
- Making a totally new archetype is harder now. The card pool is bigger, decks are more refined, and players optimize fast. So if a new card is supposed to create a whole new deck type, the bar is higher than it used to be.
- Returning characters hit best when they hit different. They land when there’s a clear hook or gameplay twist that makes you go, “Ohhh, that’s cool.”
On the game mode side, we made a big jump in 2025, going from two to six limited-time game modes (LTGMs). The variety feels strong, and the cadence is in a solid place.
One bigger win than we expected was pre-built decks. They’ve been great for the modes, and an easy on-ramp for new and returning players who can just jump in and play without spending an hour figuring out what they “should” run.
We also added event premium passes so LTGMs can continue to grow and be supported long-term. We’re already seeing the benefits, and we’ll keep polishing the experience so it consistently feels like a great value.
Card Acquisition: Better With Room to Grow
Okay, quick check-in on card acquisition because this is where a lot of the “how does Snap feel day to day?” lives.
We’ve been working to improve this system so it feels better for players, including providing them with real choices in which packs to go after and which cards to prioritize.
Adding Featured Sets and Spotlight Variants to the Card Shop has been a clear win. They give you more ways to spend tokens that feel cool and useful, instead of “guess I’ll just sit on these.”
That said, the biggest complaint we still hear is pretty consistent: catching up to the meta is tough if you’re new, or coming back from a break. Even if you’re doing everything “right,” it can feel like you’re always a step behind.
We agree that’s not where we want things to stay. We’re working on ways to improve that in 2026, so new and returning players can get to the fun part faster, without feeling like they’re climbing a mountain first.
New Year, New Focus
2026 is About the Foundation
Snap has a strong content rhythm right now: monthly seasons, new cards, and six rotating limited-time modes.
But for 2026, our main focus is making the core foundation of the game even stronger. We’re upgrading our systems and tools so future updates are easier to build and smoother to play.
Think of Snap like a house.
All the features you see (cards, modes, rewards, events) are the rooms. But the foundation, wiring, and plumbing? That’s the code and internal systems.
When that underlying infrastructure is modern and well-organized, it makes updates and remodels easier and of higher quality.
We moved fast to get Snap into your hands and then kept that pace after launch to keep delivering. Now we’re taking time to refine and reinforce the underlying systems and investing in the “under the hood” work that makes everything feel more seamless, more stable, and easier to expand going forward.
That’s tech debt, and it’s time to clean it up.
“Cool, but how does that affect me?”
Even though you won’t see “tech debt cleanup” as a flashy feature, you’ll feel it when you play.
Here’s what we expect this work to improve:
While a lot of the team is focused on this work, the Snap you know with fast matches, new cards, and new seasons is still rolling all year. Below, we’ll dig into some new content and features on our workbench right now.
Something Objectively New
This month, in the X-Men: Origins of Apocalypse season, we’ve introduced a new keyword: Objective.
With Objective, we’re adding more moments in a match where you’re working toward something. And on the deckbuilding side, it opens up new directions, not just another card for the same old lists.
Objective cards create a timing choice: play them early to spend Energy efficiently, or hold them to spring the payoff and catch your opponent off guard. That choice invites different tech answers (like Cosmic Ghost Rider and Red Guardian vs Negasonic and Alioth) and sometimes you can even play an Objective card before you complete it, just to bluff.
More Variety, More New Stuff to Play With
Like with Objective, we want to keep stretching Snap into new gameplay territory.
And we don’t just mean “here’s a shiny new keyword.” That’s only part of it. We also want to give some overlooked strategies their moment and let decks that have been on the sidelines get a real chance to shine.
We also want to have more fun with character takes. Instead of always going with the most obvious “Marvel’s greatest hits” interpretation, can we do something a little unexpected? A little more “Oh, that’s clever” or “Wait, that actually fits.”
We’re excited about what’s coming this year.
Seasons: Same Rhythm, Fresh Twists, New Game Modes?
We’ve got a fun year lined up. While we’re not spoiling everything yet, here are the season names we can share right now:
The basic seasonal setup isn’t changing. Each season still comes with:
- Season Pass
- New Cards
- Limited-Time Game Modes
- Variants
That cadence is one of Snap’s biggest strengths, so we’re not messing with it.
That said, we don’t want limited time modes to feel repetitive. Every now and then, we’ll tweak the rules on existing modes with small changes that’ll keep them fresh without reinventing the wheel.
It’s too early to get specific, but we are working on new game modes. Including one that people have been very loud about wanting: Draft Mode.
The big difference with these is they’re built around new deckbuilding rules that haven’t been possible in Snap before.
We’re also working on both revamps of existing features as well as brand new ones that we’ll share more about when they’re closer to being ready.
As a preview of Tuesday’s patch notes we’ll be adding value back to weekly Alliance Rewards. After making changes late last year to Alliance rewards, we’ve heard player feedback loud and clear. PMVs will be added back to the Alliance Reward rotation.
That’s all we’re teasing for now, but we’ll share more later this year.
Also, Thank You
We want to shout out the MARVEL SNAP Creators and the Snap communities on Discord, Reddit, and everywhere players discuss the game. Your feedback, dedication, takes, and ideas, even when they’re blunt, genuinely help the game get better.
To everyone playing and reading this, none of this works without you. The feedback you share, the things you love, and the things you don’t all shape the future. We’re building it together.
