Second Dinner
CompanyUnited States · Founded 2018
Documents about Second Dinner
Marvel Snap Stats (2026): Player Count, Revenue & Downloads
Marvel Snap, the Second Dinner-developed digital collectible card game launched October 18, 2022, is analyzed as a mature live-service title in long decline from a hype-driven launch peak.
- Marvel Snap has transitioned into a mature live-service product, with monthly downloads declining 98% from their 9.3 million peak to approximately 161,000 as of mid-2026.
- The game has generated $218 million in lifetime revenue, maintaining a stable monthly income of roughly $1.5 million despite a 90% drop in monthly active users from its peak of 12.1 million to 1.2 million.
- Monetization remains highly efficient for a mature title, evidenced by an ARPDAU of $0.29 and a revenue-per-MAU of $86.42, driven by a dedicated base of spenders.
Mobilegamer.biz Weekly Newsletter: April 2026
The May 8, 2026 edition of the mobilegamer.biz weekly newsletter rounds up the mobile games industry's main stories in one email, alongside a companion podcast digest.
- Supercell is set to fully acquire Metacore, the maker of Merge Mansion, as part of a restructuring that puts 160 jobs at risk and will integrate Merge Mansion into Supercell’s live portfolio after Metacore failed to launch new sustainable games.
- Second Dinner, the studio behind Marvel Snap, has implemented layoffs affecting 16 staff, though work on their second game is continuing.
- Unity reported a 17% year-on-year revenue increase, with CEO Bromberg noting that 90% of game developers are already using AI in their workflows.
Untold Stories of Activision, Blizzard, and King Founders
This analysis, conducted by InvestGame, examines the "alumni effect" for startups founded by former employees of Activision Blizzard King (ATVI), comparing their fundraising success and outcomes to industry averages and ex-Riot Games founders.
- Startups founded by Activision, Blizzard, and King alumni raised nearly $0.7 billion in venture capital across 40 funding rounds between 2020 and 2024.
- Alumni-led startups demonstrate strong follow-on financing capabilities, typically securing subsequent funding rounds within one to two years of their initial investment.
- Major venture capital firms, specifically a16z and BITKRAFT, remain the primary financiers for these alumni-led gaming ventures.
After 25 Years, Age of Empires II Still Rules
This article examines the enduring popularity and competitive scene of Age of Empires II (AoE2), 25 years after its initial release.
- Age of Empires II has maintained a growing competitive scene, with participation and engagement increasing by 10% to 20% over the past year despite broader industry declines.
- Microsoft’s strategy of integrating community-developed improvements and hiring community talent has resulted in five expansion packs since 2019 and consistent growth in active player counts.
- The Nili’s Apartment Cup V tournament demonstrated the game's commercial viability by drawing over 30,000 concurrent Twitch viewers and offering a prize pool exceeding $60,000.
Is 2024 the Year Microsoft Finally Makes Its Move in Mobile?
The article explores the potential for Microsoft to significantly enter the mobile gaming market in 2024, challenging the existing duopoly of Apple and Google.
- Microsoft is positioned to challenge the Apple and Google mobile app store duopoly in 2024, bolstered by its acquisition of Activision, Blizzard, and King.
- While Microsoft has publicly expressed intent to launch its own mobile game store, internal concerns persist regarding the difficulty of breaking the current market dominance of Apple and Google.
- Legislative and judicial shifts, such as the EU's Digital Markets Act and Epic Games' legal victory against Google, are expected to facilitate the entry of alternative app stores and payment methods.
ByteDance May Sell Some of Its Games to Tencent
ByteDance is reportedly exploring the sale of its video game assets, with Tencent identified as a potential buyer.
- ByteDance is negotiating the sale of its gaming division, Nuverse, to potential buyers including Tencent as part of a major corporate restructuring.
- Despite investing approximately 30 billion yuan ($4.2 billion) in gaming M&A between 2019 and 2022, the division contributed less than 1% of ByteDance's $54 billion revenue in the first half of 2023.
- ByteDance is considering the divestment of major assets including the titles Crystal of Atlan and Earth: Revival, as well as Moonton Technology, which was acquired for $4 billion in 2021.
Marvel Snap Generates Over $116 Million on Mobile in Its First Year: US Leading in Revenue and Downloads
Marvel Snap generated over $116.7 million in mobile in-app purchase revenue during its first year, from October 18, 2022, to October 18, 2023.
- Marvel Snap generated $116.7 million in global in-app purchase revenue during its first year, making it the highest-grossing mobile collectible card game of 2023.
- The United States is the primary market for the title, contributing 60.8% of total revenue and 23.4% of its 23.7 million lifetime downloads.
- Revenue distribution favors iOS at 57% of earnings, while Android dominates user acquisition with 69% of total downloads.
Marvel Snap: Road to $100 Million in Mobile Revenue
Marvel Snap has achieved over $100 million in mobile revenue, establishing itself as the top-grossing collectible card game (CCG) on mobile globally for the current year.
- Marvel Snap has surpassed $100 million in lifetime mobile revenue, establishing itself as the leading mobile collectible card game of 2023.
- The game generated over $73 million in in-app purchase revenue during the first eight months of 2023, outperforming competitors like Hearthstone and Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel.
- The United States is the primary market, accounting for 61% of total revenue and 24% of the game's 22 million global downloads.
Marvel Snap: The Definitive Deconstruction
This is a long-form industry deconstruction written by Christopher Brousseau for Deconstructor of Fun in May 2023, analyzing Second Dinner's mobile card game Marvel Snap, published by ByteDance-owned Nuverse.
- The author states that Marvel Snap amassed over $70M in net revenue to date and was on its way to crack 100M before the year ended.
- The article reports that during the first 30 days the game accumulated 8 million downloads, which it describes as a notable achievement compared with other CCG-Battle games.
- The author reports that the Recruit Season takes more than four hours of gameplay to finish, and before it is complete players can only spend real money on two specific packs (apart from Gold): the Welcome Bundle and the Pro Bundle.
Ex-Riot Developers Are Making "Breath of the Wild with Friends"
Believer, a new game studio founded by former Riot Games vice president Michael Chow and Steven Snow, chief product officer, has secured $55 million in funding from investors including Riot and Andreesen Horowitz.
- The Believer Company, founded by former Riot Games executives, has secured $55 million in funding to develop an open-world, cooperative multiplayer game.
- The project aims to support two to 12 players in a private-server environment, blending narrative-driven single-player design with session-based multiplayer mechanics.
- The studio plans a three-to-five-year development cycle and intends to expand the game into a multimedia franchise, including an animated television series.
Why Marvel Snap Became a Hit and for How Long Will It Remain One?
Deconstructor of Fun analyses Marvel Snap, a mobile collectible card game (CCG) developed by Second Dinner and published by Nuverse, a ByteDance subsidiary.
- Marvel Snap's CCG-Battle sub-genre is niche, generating $376M and 59M downloads worldwide over the last 365 days.
- The authors state that Snap achieved over 8M downloads during its first 30 days, a figure they describe as far ahead of other CCG-Battle titles.
- The authors argue that Snap's monetization has limited spending depth because its collection is small, with roughly 250 cards.
Two & a Half Gamers Session #37: Marvel Snap Global Launch Case Study
This document summarizes a "Two & a Half Gamers" podcast session (#37) focused on a case study of the global launch of the mobile game Marvel Snap.
- Win rates are the primary driver of long-term player retention, making balanced game design the most critical factor for sustaining the title.
- Second Dinner successfully scaled the game by prioritizing a design philosophy that prevents pay-to-win mechanics and limits spending depth.
- Facebook served as the primary driver for user acquisition during the global launch, supplemented by a broad, shotgun-style approach across multiple ad networks.
