What Second Dinner Studios does

Second Dinner Studios, Inc. is an independent, venture-backed game developer founded in 2018 and headquartered in Orange County, California, with most roles open to remote work. The studio's flagship product is Marvel Snap, a free-to-play collectible card game featuring characters from the Marvel universe, launched in 2022 and designed around short, accessible mobile matches. Marvel Snap earned Best Mobile Game of the Year from both The Game Awards and DICE, Best Strategy Game from IGN, and an Apple Design Award for Innovation.

Marvel Snap monetizes via in-app purchases (card packs, cosmetics, battle passes) under a freemium model, and is distributed globally through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. The studio is effectively single-product, with revenue and headcount concentrated on the live operations and continued content releases for Marvel Snap. Originally published by Nuverse (a ByteDance subsidiary), Marvel Snap was removed from US app stores in 2025 following the ban on Nuverse; Second Dinner has since assumed direct publishing and restructured distribution. The studio has raised approximately $130 million cumulatively, including a $100 million Series B in 2024 led by Griffin Gaming Partners following an earlier $30 million round from NetEase.

Operationally, Second Dinner runs a relatively small team of 101-250 employees led by CEO Hamilton Chu and co-founder/CDO Ben Brode (former Hearthstone lead at Blizzard). The 2026 roadmap emphasizes infrastructure, bug fixes, and new game modes to position Marvel Snap as a long-term 'forever game,' though the studio executed layoffs in late 2025/early 2026 and faced player backlash over 2025 pricing changes. Competitive positioning rests on Marvel IP access, founder pedigree in collectible card games, and live-ops execution rather than disclosed proprietary technology.

Name

Second Dinner Studios

Legal name

Second Dinner Studios, Inc.

Website

https://seconddinner.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Second Dinner Studios is an independent game developer founded in 2018 and headquartered in Orange County, California, that builds and operates Marvel Snap, a free-to-play Marvel-licensed collectible card game distributed globally on iOS and Android to hundreds of millions of players.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Gaming

akta.pro primary industry

Mobile & F2P Game Studios (MPAFAAAB)

Keywords

• Mobile game development
• Collectible card game
• Free-to-play games
• Video game studio
• Mobile gaming apps

Headquarters

HQ city

Irvine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Free-to-play mobile game with in-app purchases: Marvel Snap is a free-to-play collectible card game generating revenue through microtransactions for cards, cosmetic items, and battle passes. The game faced pricing controversies in 2025 with increased costs for cards and aggressive microtransactions leading to negative player sentiment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Second Dinner Studios is an independent game development studio that designs, develops, and operates Marvel Snap, a free-to-play collectible card game featuring Marvel characters. The game is a fast-paced strategic card battler with short match durations, monetized through in-app purchases including card acquisitions, cosmetic items, and battle passes. The studio positions Marvel Snap as a long-term 'forever game' supported by ongoing live operations.

Product overview

Second Dinner Studios is an award-winning independent game studio based in California that operates as a single-product company focused on Marvel Snap, a collectible card game featuring Marvel characters. The company is funded (approximately $100M Series B in 2024) and maintains a small, agile team with creative control over their projects. The studio positions Marvel Snap as a long-term 'forever game' with ongoing live operations, new game modes, and infrastructure improvements planned for 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marvel Snap Marvel Snap is a free-to-play collectible card game featuring characters from the Marvel universe, designed as a fast-paced strategic card battler with short match durations. The game has earned multiple industry awards including Best Mobile Game of the Year (Game Awards & DICE), Best Strategy Game (IGN), and Apple Design Award for Innovation. It is targeted at mobile gamers and Marvel fans seeking quick, accessible gameplay sessions.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Nuverse (former publisher)former/minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNuverse served as the former publisher of Marvel Snap. The partnership ended when Nuverse was banned as a subsidiary of ByteDance, resulting in Marvel Snap's removal from US app stores. Second Dinner is now operating independently following this separation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Zynga (Take-Two Interactive): Major mobile F2P publisher (Words With Friends, CSR Racing, FarmVille) now owned by Take-Two. Broader incumbent in mobile social/strategy gaming with comparable F2P mechanics and live ops, though Zynga's portfolio breadth differs from Second Dinner's single-title focus.
• Riot Games: Developer of Legends of Runeterra (digital CCG), League of Legends, and Valorant. Operates a free-to-play competitive ecosystem with deep live ops — comparable business model to Second Dinner's Marvel Snap, though at much larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Blizzard Entertainment: Developer of Hearthstone, the dominant digital collectible card game that Marvel Snap is most directly benchmarked against. Blizzard is a broad incumbent; Hearthstone is the established CCG leader, and Second Dinner founder Ben Brode was previously Hearthstone's lead.

Direct peers

• Kabam: Mobile F2P developer of Marvel Contest of Champions and other licensed-IP titles. Closely comparable to Second Dinner in leveraging Marvel IP in mobile games, with similar F2P mechanics and global live-ops operations.
• Supercell: Independent mobile F2P game studio behind Clash Royale, Hay Day, and Brawl Stars. Closely comparable model: small elite team, mobile-first, free-to-play with deep live ops, and emphasis on a small portfolio of evergreen hits — a template Second Dinner explicitly emulates with Marvel Snap.
• HoYoverse (miHoYo): Mobile and cross-platform F2P studio behind Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and Honkai Impact 3rd. Comparable in premium mobile F2P execution, ongoing live-ops content cadence, and direct-to-consumer publishing without traditional publisher dependency.
• Niantic: Independent mobile game developer behind Pokémon GO, Monster Hunter Now, and Pikmin Bloom. Comparable as a mobile-first F2P studio with licensed-IP partnerships, large global player bases, and reliance on app store distribution.
• Scopely: Mobile game publisher operating Marvel Strike Force and other licensed-IP mobile titles (Monopoly GO, Stumble Guys). Directly comparable in mobile F2P mechanics, Marvel IP licensing, and live-ops-driven monetization on global app stores.
• Playrix: Independent mobile F2P studio behind Homescapes, Gardenscapes, and Township. Comparable in mobile-first free-to-play model with deep live ops, large global player base, and self-publishing strategy through app stores.
• King (Activision Blizzard): Mobile F2P leader behind Candy Crush and a growing portfolio of casual and mid-core mobile titles. Comparable in mobile-first free-to-play model, in-app purchase monetization, and live-ops depth, though King operates at substantially larger scale and more diversified portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/seconddinner
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCMYFSZ61jfxYAbFQ2y8_SXQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/seconddinnergames
• Instagraminstagram.com/seconddinnergames
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/seconddinner

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Second Dinner Studios