Niantic’s augmented reality game, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, is about to close. The company that brought us Pokémon GO released the mobile title two years ago. But now Niantic has to come to terms with the facts: uniting virtual reality with one of the most popular franchises does not always equate to success.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is about to officially close
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will become officially unplayable on January 31, 2022. However, as of December 6, 2021, the game will be removed from all app stores and players will not be able to make in-app purchases. Existing purchases such as Gold can however be redeemed until January 31, 2022.
Niantic specifies that no refunds will be available “except where required by law”.
Although the fantasy game has registered decent numbers after its initial release, it was clear from the start that it would not achieve Pokémon GO success. Despite the pandemic, 2020 was the best year per Pokémon GO.
The mobile title has indeed cashed over 1 billion dollars and now, in 2021, the app is already breaking its record. Up to now he has already earned 1.1 billion dollars. In his official blog, Niantic said:
“Not all games are meant to last forever. We have achieved our goals together, delivering a two-year story arc that will soon be completed ”.
It’s true that the Harry Potter title is much more narrative than Pokémon Go. However, the numbers behind these games speak to another potential reason behind the game’s closure.
According to app analysis company Sensor Tower, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite has seen approx 739,000 downloads globally in the first 10 months of 2021, down by 57% compared to the same period in 2020. Approximately 1.7 million downloads.
Likewise, the In-app consumer spending fell 57% so far this year compared to the same time last year. To date, the game has been downloaded approx 20.3 million times, generating 39.4 million dollars from consumer spending. Meanwhile, Pokémon GO has spawned over 1.1 billion dollars in revenue so far this year.
A “substitute” on the horizon
The sunset of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite comes after Niantic debuted a new game last week, Pikmin Bloom, developed in collaboration with Nintendo. Niantic is also working on Transformers: Heavy Metal, a game that will allow users to fight giant robots in AR.
In a blog post, Niantic said they have nine games and applications in its development pipeline, including some due to soft launch next year. Niantic also revealed to TechCrunch that employees who have worked on Harry Potter: Wizards Unite so far will be redirected to other projects.
If you have downloaded the title on your smartphone, we advise you to enjoy the last moments with it because we will soon have to officially say goodbye.