NetEase apologises for Harry Potter game's CNY campaign after backlash

share on

twitter /
facebook /
linkedin /
- email
- telegram
- whatsapp
- wechat
- pinterest
- line
- snapchat
- reddit

Chinese gaming company NetEase has posted an apology on Weibo after Chinese players created a petition and called out the game makers for its unfair game terms in Harry Potter: Magic Awakened game. The mobile game is based on J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter book series. According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the terms in the game's Lunar New Year campaign were deemed unfair by players, with some players alleging that the campaign would trick players into spending too much time and money on the game.

The creators of the game usually release two new in-game outfits each month, with one being sold directly to players at around US$10.70, while the other is up for grabs through a paid lottery function. However, the New Year campaign, originally slated to commence on 26 January, saw both in-game outfits being put into the lottery. Many players said that the in-game tasks to access to the lottery function took too long to complete. Players criticised the game for its unfair terms and an created a petition on Weibo calling for the resignation of the game’s designer, which has since received 380 million views.

The game's developer has since apologised on Weibo for bringing “bad experiences” to the players, while NetEase said it will cancel a part of the campaign and distribute free gaming equipment and outfits to players of the game. According to its apology on Weibo on 22 January, it thanked users for the suggestions and said it will continue to work on fashion developments based on the "valuable opinions" that were given.

It also added that users would be able to communicate with the game designers and artists with "some of the future reserve fashion designs". It is said that these designs may not necessarily enter the game version.

Harry Potter: Magic Awakened launched in September last year, amidst a time of heightened regulatory scrutiny of the video gaming industry by the government. New game approvals have been suspended since July last year and restrictions on the time spent on gaming by minors has been imposed. This is also not the first time that the game has come under fire. It faced backlash in November last year for featuring sexually suggestive female characters. The female characters appeared to have sexually exaggerated facial expressions during a fight scene, while the male game characters did not "react" the same way. Players complained that the facial expressions made them uncomfortable, and looked similar to those in anime pornography, SCMP reported.

Separately, in November last year, NetEase's music streaming arm Cloud Village has reportedly restarted its initial public offering in Hong Kong after delaying it for over three months. According to a report then from CNBC, the company submitted a new filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange, indicating that it was going ahead with the listing.

In August last year, NetEase filed for the listing of Cloud Village, SCMP reported. However, due to the volatility of markets at that time, the company decided to delay the IPO. Cloud Village is a rival to Tencent's popular music streaming service, and runs NetEase’s music streaming business. It has 185 million monthly active users as of November 2021, according to the company. Its revenue relies on subscriptions, advertising and users buying virtual items on its platforms.