Harry Potter: Magic Awakened EOS Announced, Guess The Spells Didn’t Work After All!

NetEase's collectible card RPG, Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, is shutting down in the Americas, Europe, and Oceania on October 29th, 2024. While this is a regional End of Service (EOS), players in Asia and certain MENA regions can continue playing.

Initially announced in 2020 and released in China in September 2021, the game saw a strong initial launch but faced delays before its worldwide release on June 27th, 2022. Despite a promising start, leveraging a Clash Royale-esque gameplay style within the Harry Potter universe and initially appealing card-battling mechanics, the game failed to maintain momentum.

The game's decline is attributed by players to several factors, prominently the shift towards a pay-to-win model. Reddit discussions highlight complaints about the reworking of the reward system, which penalized skilled free-to-play players and slowed progression for those who didn't spend money. These changes, along with various nerfs, contributed to player dissatisfaction and ultimately led to the game's premature closure in the affected regions.

The game has already been removed from the Google Play Store in the regions slated for closure (as of August 26th). Players in unaffected regions still have the opportunity to experience the game, exploring Hogwarts, attending classes, uncovering secrets, and dueling fellow students.