Pokémon Go studio is closing Harry Potter: Wizards Unite

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is coming to an end. Developer Niantic announced today that it is closing the game down on January 31. On December 6, Niantic will pull the augmented-reality world-exploration experience from the various mobile app stores. This will also stop all in-game transactions.

You can continue playing Harry Potter until January 31, but after the December 6 date, you won’t have the option to redownload it. And beginning in February, Wizards Unite’s servers will shut down, and it will no longer properly function.

This move comes as Niantic continues to find success with Pokémon Go. The developer also just launched Pikmin Bloom, a new AR exploration game, in partnership with Nintendo. Niantic will likely focus on those projects after failing to build a substantial audience for its Harry Potter efforts.

Wizards Unite had high expectations after the blockbuster success of Pokémon Go. Many fans assumed that Harry Potter was one of the few other properties that would have the appeal of Pokémon. But that did not pan out. Instead, players have stuck with Pokémon Go while Harry Potter never really got close to replicating the downloads and revenues of Pikachu and his fellow pocket monsters.

According to industry-tracking firm Sensor Tower, Wizards Unite has generated just over 20 million downloads and $39.4 million in revenue. That is only a fraction of the $1.1 billion that Pokémon Go has generated in 2021 alone. During that same period, Harry Potter only brought in $4.7 million from player spending.

But while Wizards Unite is coming to an end, Niantic is giving the game something of a proper send off. Beginning today, players can expect increased bonus rewards and XP while playing. That will run through to its final day of operation early next year.