Harry Potter: Magic Awakened Shutting Down

NetEase's collectible card RPG, Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, is facing a regional end-of-service (EOS) announcement. The game will be discontinued in the Americas, Europe, and Oceania on October 29th, 2024. Players in Asia and certain MENA regions can continue playing.

Initially unveiled in 2020 at NetEase Games' annual event and developed by Zen Studio, the game launched in China in September 2021 and globally on June 27th, 2022, following global pre-registrations in February 2022. Despite a strong initial Chinese launch, worldwide momentum faltered.

The game's Clash Royale-inspired gameplay, combined with the Harry Potter universe, initially resonated with players who enjoyed the card battles and wizard duels. However, the game failed to achieve sustained popularity. Player complaints on Reddit cite a shift towards a pay-to-win model, with reworks to the reward system disadvantaging skilled, free-to-play players. Nerfs and slower progression for non-spending players further contributed to its decline.

The game has been removed from the Google Play Store in affected regions as of August 26th. While its future remains uncertain in other regions, players still have the opportunity to experience Hogwarts life, attend classes, uncover secrets, and duel fellow students.