Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Shutting Down

The Impending Closure of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite

Niantic’s augmented reality title centered around the famed wizard is facing its end. The company responsible for the success of Pokémon GO launched Harry Potter: Wizards Unite two years ago, employing a similar gameplay structure. However, the combination of a well-known franchise and augmented reality gameplay does not invariably guarantee a positive outcome.

Game Availability and Purchases

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will no longer be playable after January 31, 2022. The game will be removed from all application marketplaces following December 6th. In-app purchases will cease on December 6th, although existing virtual currency, such as Gold, can still be utilized within the game until the final shutdown date. Refunds will not be issued, except where legally mandated, as stated in the official announcement.

Performance Compared to Pokémon GO

While the fantasy-based game initially demonstrated respectable download figures, it quickly became apparent that it wouldn’t achieve the same level of popularity as Pokémon GO. Notably, Pokémon GO experienced its most financially successful year in 2020, generating over $1 billion in revenue, and continues to surpass that figure, currently earning $1.1 billion this year.

Niantic acknowledged that not all games are designed for indefinite continuation. They expressed satisfaction with the accomplishments achieved, highlighting the completion of a two-year narrative storyline.

Narrative Focus and Declining Numbers

It is accurate to state that Niantic’s Harry Potter game places a greater emphasis on storytelling than Pokémon GO, which features a comparatively minimal plot. However, the performance metrics of these games suggest another contributing factor to the impending closure.

Data from Sensor Tower, an app analytics firm, indicates that Harry Potter: Wizards Unite recorded approximately 739,000 global installations during the first ten months of 2021. This represents a 57% decrease compared to the 1.7 million installations observed during the same period in 2020.

Revenue and Download Statistics

Furthermore, in-app consumer spending has also declined by 57% this year when contrasted with the previous year. To date, the game has been downloaded an estimated 20.3 million times, resulting in $39.4 million in revenue from consumer purchases. In contrast, Pokémon GO has already generated over $1.1 billion in revenue this year.

Niantic’s Future Projects

The decision to discontinue Harry Potter: Wizards Unite follows the recent debut of Niantic’s new game, Pikmin Bloom, developed in partnership with Nintendo. Niantic is also currently developing Transformers: Heavy Metal, an augmented reality game featuring robotic combat. The company has announced a development pipeline encompassing nine games and applications, with some slated for soft launch in the coming year. Employees previously assigned to Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will be reassigned to other projects, according to Niantic.

Platform Reusability

Niantic CEO John Hanke explained in an interview with TechCrunch during the launch of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite that the game’s underlying system was initially designed for Pokémon GO and Ingress.

“When we were developing features, particularly for Pokémon GO, we intentionally created them as part of a platform that could be reused across different games,” Hanke stated. “The social features are a prime example; they were built to support Pokémon GO but were designed for easy integration into other titles.”

Franchise Compatibility and AR Gameplay

Therefore, the closure of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite may indicate that while the concept of interacting with digital elements in a real-world environment is effective within the Pokémon universe, it may not be universally applicable to all franchises.