Harry Potter: Magic Awakened Continues a Sad 3-Year-Old Trend

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Harry Potter: Magic Awakened Continues a Sad 3-Year-Old Trend

As a long-time fan of the magical world of Harry Potter and a dedicated mobile gamer, I can’t help but feel a pang of disappointment and disbelief when I hear about yet another game set in this beloved universe being shut down prematurely. It feels like a cruel twist of fate that games like Harry Potter: Magic Awakened and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, which promised to transport us back into the enchanting world J.K. Rowling created, are being swept under the rug before their time.

Harry Potter: Magic Reignited is the latest digital game that delves into J.K. Rowling’s legendary universe, offering a unique blend of collectible card game dynamics and role-playing elements. Majority of the interaction in Harry Potter: Magic Reignited revolves around one-on-one card battles, however, it also incorporates playable characters, subquests, and narratives. This game made its debut in 2021 for mobile devices and Windows PCs, initially limited to China and Taiwan.

On June 27, 2023, the book “Harry Potter” was distributed and published worldwide by Warner Bros., which made it available in the Western region as well.

Despite the popularity of “Harry Potter: Magic Awakened” as a recent mobile game from the Harry Potter franchise, its operational life is drawing to a close. Warner Bros. announced in August 2024 that servers for this game in North America, Europe, and Oceania will be shut down on October 29, just over a year after its global launch. The game will continue to operate in selected Asian and MENA territories, but players living outside these regions will not be able to play it beyond the shutdown date. To add to the disappointment, “Harry Potter: Magic Awakened” has been removed from both iOS and Android app stores, making it accessible only to those who have already downloaded it until the end of October.

Harry Potter: Magic Awakened is Continuing an Unfortunate Trend of Mobile Game Closures

Like Magic Awakened, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Was Shut Down As Well

It’s important to note that “Harry Potter: Magic Awakened” isn’t the only Harry Potter title that has been discontinued recently. Previously, Warner Bros. stopped the operation of “Harry Potter: Wizards Unite”, an augmented reality mobile game released on Android and iOS in 2019. In this game, players had to explore real-world locations where they would encounter mythical creatures, discover hidden artifacts, and interact with famous characters from the Harry Potter universe.

After two years, Warner Bros. closed down the game in January 2022 following its post-launch support. This early closure may be due to several reasons: firstly, the augmented reality game didn’t become very popular, and secondly, it received mixed reviews from critics when it was initially launched.

The Shuttering of Titles like Harry Potter: Magic Awakened Emphasizes the Importance of Game Preservation

The endings of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and Harry Potter: Magic Awakened serve as grim, unavoidable realities that many mobile games have limited lifespans. Given that the majority of these games for iOS and Android operate on a free-to-play model, they frequently demand constant internet connectivity to function properly. Consequently, if their servers are deactivated by publishers, these games can vanish without notice.

As a passionate gamer, I can’t help but feel the heartache when I witness the years of dedicated effort poured into video game development only to see these masterpieces disappear from digital shelves, becoming inaccessible to future generations of gamers. This underscores the crucial significance of video game preservation, especially in this era where games like the Harry Potter series are exclusively available online. Never before has it been more imperative to ensure our cherished games remain playable and accessible for generations to come.

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2024-10-09 19:03