Harry Potter fans, mark your calendar for October 29 because one entry in the franchise is about to be deleted forever.
Based on the books written by JK Rowling, the Harry Potter franchise has expanded massively since “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” was released in 1997 to include everything from films and audiobooks to theme parks and Broadway shows.
The series – which follows the journey of the Boy Who Lived as he battles the dark wizard Lord Voldemort – has generated a massive fanbase along the way.
Fans, also known as Potterheads, are regulars at the likes of Universal Studios’ Wizarding World of Harry Potter and have been known to flood locations that feature in the series, such as King’s Cross Station (much to the frustration of commuters) and the real-life Privet Drive.
To feed this frenzy, it feels like new Harry Potter projects are always being conjured out of thin air. In the next few years, we’re set to receive a TV reboot of the franchise for HBO.
With one season per book, this will recast all characters (because really, did anybody expect Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint to reprise the roles of 11-year-old schoolchildren in their mid-30s?) and be led by the team behind Succession.
We’re also getting an audiobook reboot of the series for Audible, plus a third Wizarding World of Harry Potter land at Universal Orlando Resort’s upcoming theme park Epic Universe in 2025, this time based on the Ministry of Magic.
Before that happens, a brand-new video game titled “Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions”—based on the magical sport of the same name from the franchise—will be released on September 3, 2024, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. A Nintendo Switch version of the game is also slated for release over the holidays.
This follows last year’s hugely successful “Hogwarts Legacy,” an action role-playing game developed by Warner Bros. Games under its Portkey Games label. Despite planned boycotts stemming from JK Rowling’s endless attacks on the transgender community, the game made record-breaking sales, with 12 million copies sold in its first two weeks.
However, not all spinoff projects have proven this successful. Amid the “Hogwarts Legacy” frenzy, another Harry Potter game was released last year. “Harry Potter: Magic Awakened” is a collectible card game infused with RPG elements that initially soft-launched in China and Taiwan in September 2021 before making its global debut in late June 2023.
While available on Android and iOS devices worldwide, the game also has a PC version, though this remains exclusive to Asia.
Unfortunately, “Harry Potter: Magic Awakened” seems to have struggled to make an impact beyond Asia. Warner Bros. Games has confirmed plans to shut down the game’s servers in the Americas, Oceania, and Europe on October 29. As of August 26, 2024, the game has already been pulled from the iOS App Store and Google Play Store.
A statement posted on the “Magic Awakened” website reads: “We have shared the magical journey of Harry Potter: Magic Awakened with millions of fans around the globe. The time has come for Harry Potter: Magic Awakened to officially close its servers in the Americas, Europe and Oceania territories on October 29, 2024. The game will continue to be available for players in Asia, including Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, as well as other select Asia and MENA territories.”
It went on to add that the team would “like to thank those in the Americas, Europe and Oceania for playing, and are incredibly proud and honored that so many fans all around the world have enjoyed ‘Harry Potter: Magic Awakened’ with such enthusiasm and passion.”
For those who enjoyed the Harry Potter mobile game, there’s still “Hogwarts Mystery.” Despite receiving negative reviews upon its release in 2018 – specifically for its reliance on microtransactions to accelerate your progress – the role-playing game is still running and available on both the iOS App Store and Google Play Store.
What’s your favorite Harry Potter game?