Harry Potter: End of Service Announcement - Hogwarts Letters No Longer Bear Good News

NetEase's collectible card game, Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, is facing regional closure. The game's servers in the Americas, Europe, and Oceania will be discontinued on October 29th, 2024. However, players in Asia and certain MENA regions can continue playing.

Initially released in China in September 2021, the game enjoyed a successful launch. Global pre-registrations began in February 2022, but subsequent delays impacted its worldwide debut on June 27th of the same year.

The game's demise, despite its promising Clash Royale-inspired gameplay and captivating Hogwarts atmosphere, is attributed to several factors. Player complaints on Reddit cite a shift towards pay-to-win mechanics, negatively affecting the experience for free-to-play users. A controversial rework of the reward system, diminishing the impact of skill-based gameplay, further contributed to its decline.

The game has already been removed from app stores in the affected regions as of August 26th. Those in unaffected regions can still experience the wizarding world, exploring Hogwarts, attending classes, uncovering secrets, and engaging in duels.