Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, the location-based augmented reality (AR) game from Pokemon Go creator Niantic will be shutting down on January 31, 2022. The game will be removed from App Store, Google Play, and Samsung Galaxy Store on December 6, 2021, announced Niantic. Also, players will no longer be able to make in-game purchases starting December 6. The game’s community forum and all associated social media channels will be closed on January 31 as well. Niantic, in collaboration with Nintendo, recently announced the launch of a new game Pikmin Bloom.
Niantic on November 2 announced the withdrawal of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite through a blog post. The Pokemon Go creator didn’t reveal the reason for the shutdown of the game. “Not all games are meant to last forever. Our goal with Harry Potter: Wizards Unite was to bring the magic of the wizarding world to life for millions of players as they stepped outside and explored their neighbourhoods. We accomplished that together, delivering a two-year narrative story arc that will soon complete” the company said.
As mentioned, Niantic will be taking Harry Potter: Wizards Unite down from App Store, Google Play, and Samsung Galaxy Store starting December 6. Also, from the same day, users will no longer be able to make in-game purchases. All features and servers for Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will be turned off on January 31, 2022.
Niantic launched Harry Potter: Wizards Unite on Android and iOS back in 2019 after its 2016-hit Pokemon Go garnered worldwide popularity. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite was co-developed by Niantic and AT&T’s Warner Bros.
Pokemon Go is still leading the segment. As per a Sensor Tower report, the game recently surpassed $5 billion (roughly Rs. 37,323 crores) in lifetime revenue within five years. Pokemon Go collected up to $641.6 million (roughly Rs. 4,822 crores) in just the first half of 2021, shows Sensor Tower data.
It is not the first time that Niantic has decided to wrap up a game. In September this year, the company has decided to wind up Catan – World Explorers. The game will be fully withdrawn on November 18. The company has already taken the game down from App Store and removed real-money purchases from the shop. Apart from this, Niantic has launched a new location-based AR game Pikmin Bloom. Similar to Pokemon Go, Pikmin Bloom also asks players to go outside and discover their surroundings. The game involves collecting seedlings and creating a squad of Pikmin.