Niantic Announces “Wizards Unite” Will Support Niantic Social Despite Game’s Discontinuation
Despite removing Harry Potter: Wizards Unite from app stores today ahead of the game‘s shutdown on January 31, 2022, developer Niantic has announced new social features for Wizards Unite players. Bleeding Cool reports that an update was posted to the Harry Potter: Wizards Unite forum on November 29 to announce that Niantic Social, a feature that was rolled out in Pokémon GO in July 2020, is coming to Wizards Unite despite its impending shutdown.
We are excited to announce Niantic Social, which will be released in the 2.20 [u]pdate. Niantic Social enables you to chat with friends, manage your profile and friends list, and discover communities around you from directly within Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. Strategize Wizarding Challenges, discuss Gift preferences, and plan meet-ups through features such as Direct & Group Messaging, public and private Communities, and Events.
Niantic Social is also the best way to stay connected with the friends you’ve made in the game before Harry Potter: Wizards Unite closes down on January 31, 2022.
You will find Niantic Social on the Friends List page. This feature will not be available for Niantic Kids accounts.
This, in other words, means that Niantic has not reversed its decision to shut down Harry Potter: Wizards Unite; instead, it is providing a way for users to connect with one another before January 31.
In its article on the inclusion of Niantic Social in Wizards Unite, Bleeding Cool points out what many fans replied to the announcement on the forum – that including Niantic Social in the game sooner could have kept the developer from needing to shut it down at all. One user with the display name PkmnTrainerJ expressed that it was a “shame” that the feature had “come in so late.” Another user, Kbianco02, lamented Niantic’s “poor prioritizing til the very end.” Meanwhile, multiple users went so far as to state that they would not be playing any other Niantic games after the developer’s decision, painting a clear picture of the frustration felt by Wizards Unite players.
The most recent update to Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, according to Apple’s App Store, was version 2.19 on November 3, 2021. The game was developed by Niantic and Warner Bros. Games, the latter operating under the Portkey Games label.
With its days numbered, will players return to Wizards Unite to reconnect with the friends they made through the game, or did Niantic choose to add Niantic Social too late? Sound off in the comments below!