Niantic, the studio behind Pokemon GO, has just announced that it will be shuttering its AR Harry Potter game. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite was the studio’s second foray into creating real-world AR games for a large franchise. The game debuted back in 2019 hot off the heels of Pokemon GO.
However, it looks like the Harry Potter game isn’t fairing as well as its predecessor. The company announced that wizards and witches still immersed in the game will be casting their last spell on January 31, 2022. The game will be delisted from the Google Play Store, App Store and Galaxy Store come December 6, 2021. In-app purchases will be disabled on the same day. This means that you will no longer be able to download the app or buy any in-game items come 6 December.
Source: Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Facebook
That said, Niantic isn’t simply leaving players high and dry when it comes to content. The studio guarantees that it will be wrapping game storylines before shutting down. In its blog post, the company detailed a number of events that will be playable leading up to January 31, 2022. Events will kick off starting in November.
The events are listed below:
November
Dolores Umbridge Lethal Adversaries Event
Half-Blood Prince Brilliant Event Part 1
Lucius Malfoy Lethal Adversaries Event
Half-Blood Prince Brilliant Event Part 2
December
Bellatrix Lethal Adversaries Event
Horcrux Hunt Part 2
Voldemort Lethal Adversaries Event
Deathly Hallows Brilliant Event Part 1
Holiday Event
Deathly Hallows Brilliant Event Part 2
In addition to these events, Niantic will also be making changes to gameplay to allow players to complete pending quests in anticipation of the closure. The first few changes have come into effect on November 2, 2021. This includes increased rewards, quicker brewing times and increased spell energy and ingredient spawns.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite players will have until January 31, 2022, to complete the game and use up their in-game items. Niantic notes that beyond this date, players will be unable to access anything from the game as servers will be taken offline. In addition, it is saying that there will be no refunds for in-game purchases.
ESports has been on an upward trend when it comes to popularity – having recently been inducted as part of the Sukan Malaysia (SUKMA). It is already being considered for the 2028 Olympics. That said, the momentum is even more apparent at the grassroots level with even more people gaining taking an interest either as a spectator or professional.
As interest mounts, we’re seeing an increase in companies investing in the space – and not just in developing new, thrilling eSports games; we’re also seeing a new wave of apps and services geared to complementing the arena. The most recent of these apps is one called Kohai, a new, homegrown, Malaysian app that looks to allow newbies and gamers to interact more directly with the Pros – more specifically – to learn from them.
From left to right: Xorn, Feekz, Maima, Lilbie, Nellbie, Dominus, Panda and Artz will be the Mobile Legends Bang Bang Geek Fam Partners that Gamers have a chance to play with on Kohai’s platform // Source: Kohai
If you’re an otaku or watch any Japanese media, you’d be familiar with the term “kohai” or “kouhai” which is usually used to refer to proteges or juniors. Building on this kohai-senpai relationship, IWG eSports is looking to create a platform where everyday enthusiasts can hone their skills with the Pros. Kohai is looking to push the local Malaysian eSports scene further by essentially providing training grounds for eSports hopefuls.
The platform is focused on allowing hopefuls to hone their gameplay and strategy under the wing of a Pro. This leans on the kohai-senpai dynamic which is its namesake. On Kohai, the Gamers (kohai) are able to connect and train with Partners (senpai) regardless of their level. Parters are game experts or professionals who have a proven track record or in-game tier.
Kohai Gamer app user interface // Source: Kohai
Of course, it’s not a free-for-all as Kohai can also be a viable stream of income for partners as the platform uses a play-to-earn model. To do this, users will need to register via the Kohai Partner App where their profiles and details will be verified before they are allowed to activate their account. Given that it is a form of work, users registering as Kohai Partners will need to be 16 years or older.
Naturally, this means that gamers looking to learn will be subject to a pay-to-learn model. On the platform, Gamers will be able to train to reach specific milestones with a Partner. From as low as MYR10 per hour, Gamers will be able to up their game with coaching from Partners. This can be done on an ad-hoc basis (referred to as Real-Time Gaming Sessions) or Scheduled sessions. Gamers will be able to book these sessions via the Kohai Gamer app.
From left to right: Xorn, Feekz, Maima, Lilbie, Nellbie, Dominus, Panda and Artz will be the Mobile Legends Bang Bang Geek Fam Partners that Gamers have a chance to play with on Kohai’s platform // Source: Kohai
From left to right: Damrude, Sane, Miracle, QB and Snipes will be the PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Geek Fam Partners that Gamers have a chance to play with on Kohai’s platform // Source: Kohai
To kick things off, Kohai is focusing on two of the most popular eSports games on mobile – Mobile Legend Bang Bang (MLBB) and PlayerUnkown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) Mobile. It is also partnering with the popular eSports team GeekFam. Members of the team will be on the platform as Partners where Gamers can play, learn or train with them. In addition, Kohai has also kicked off its own tournament – the Kohai Championships – for MLBB. The tourney started on 4th September and will be concluding on 26th September 2021. It features 64 teams battling each other for a total prize pool of MYR11,000.00.
The launch comes after a public beta where Kohai has been utilized successfully by 43,000 individuals. The company is looking to the future to build its 43,000 strong community and to branch to other platforms such as PC and Console in the near future.
Netflix has pretty much changed the way we consume contents. To be fair, this whole streaming business started becoming a thing when YouTube started blowing up. To be fair to that also, YouTube’s rise to popularity is contributed by the increase in interest with short form contents and independent content creators.
In some sense Netflix’s rise in popularity is a little different than YouTube’s astronomical rise. Of course, Netflix has been in the general entertainment industry for longer than we know them to be the top Over-The-Top (OTT) content streaming service known to man today. Instead of dabbling in independent film makers, Netflix dabbles is offering the big budget film and on-demand TV shows on a single platform. You can watch all that Netflix has to offer in terms of films and TV shows at any time you want and at an affordable price. It did for films what Spotify has done for music. It democratizes big budget contents that were traditionally made for a scheduled TV programme or even the theatres. It put the controls of consuming these contents right in your palms and at home.
Their disruptive business model proves to be a winner with us, the users. Netflix, currently anyway, is still the top performing content streaming platform in the world with a huge global presence. Their success in the world of end-user entertainment platform leads to plenty of “me too” products we see today like Amazon’s Prime Video, Paramount+, HBO Max, and even Disney+.
While Netflix is still the king in content streaming platforms, they want to be more than just providing watched contents. They want to dabble in interactive contents. You can see Netflix experimenting with interactive contents when you look back into Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, a kind of movie where you can decide what your ending would be. It is like playing a game, except you are doing it on your browser and it involves a live-action content.
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, while a successful endeavour, is a huge undertaking though. It is time consuming to create, it is also complex to work with, which are all usually translated into the final cost of production in terms of currency. There is a cheaper way to do what Netflix wanted to do with Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, create actual games and host them on Netflix itself. That is what they want to do into the future though.
Netflix’s own exclusives have inspired games like Stranger Things 1984 and Stranger Things 3. While they are not strictly games you play on the PC or even a console, they are still games that puts you in the shoes of the main characters imagined from the Netflix exclusive series, ‘Stranger Things’. Yes, we are saying that they are mobile games.
Let’s talk Netflix and gaming.
Today members in Poland can try Netflix mobile gaming on Android with two games, Stranger Things: 1984 and Stranger Things 3. It’s very, very early days and we’ve got a lot of work to do in the months ahead, but this is the first step. https://t.co/yOl44PGY0r
So, Netflix is trying to make games and launch a gaming platform of their own. That is nothing new though. Since Google announced their Stadia platform, their competitors have all been jumping on board and are betting their futures with Cloud Gaming. In other words, everyone wants to get into game streaming, since the gaming industry is on a steady rise. Netflix wants that piece of action too.
Of course, at this time, Netflix has only confirmed that they are going to be integrating mobile games into their platform instead of a whole dive into cloud gaming. In that sense, Netflix Poland has already started testing their gaming platform. The experience, so far, has not been reportedly great though.
You are not accessing a completely different app, which is great news. While you are accessing the Netflix app to get to the games that are on offer though, it is not the third-party app store experience that Netflix wants you to believe at this time. The games that are on offer, at least according to current reports, are the two Stranger Things titles we mentioned earlier. They are not cloud based gaming as well, at this time anyway. You still have to download the games to play the games. Users are also led to the Google Play Store for the games to be downloaded too.
Once downloaded though, the games can only be launched via the Netflix app, which is a little counterintuitive. The games are tied to your Netflix credentials instead of your Google Play credentials though, which kind of makes sense. Reportedly also, the games you play through Netflix will not feature any ads or in-app purchases. Currently also, Netflix is focusing on bringing mobile optimised games on their platform, hence the test starts with smartphones. In some sense, it does sound a lot like Netflix is trying to create a platform that is likened to Apple Arcade. Unlike Apple’s Arcade though, membership is free as long as you have an active subscription with Netflix, for now anyway.
At the time of writing, there are only two game titles available on Netflix’s gaming section. The test is also only currently conducted in Poland with no other regions being confirmed at this time. Netflix also says that the iteration that is being tested in Poland is a very early development. While it does not feature cloud gaming yet at this time, it is not ruled out, at least from our point of view anyway. Still, would you play games on Netflix? Let us know in the comments.
A year ago, the Pokémon Company announced its first foray into the Massively Online Battle Arena (MOBA) genre with the announcement of Pokémon Unite. The MOBA is developed in partnership with Tencent’s TiMi Studios and is one of the first in a slew of new games that expand the diversity of Pokémon game genres. This week, we’re getting a little more detail about the upcoming Pokémon MOBA.
Source: The Pokémon Company International
Each game in the Pokémon world is unique to a region – Pokémon Unite is no different. The new region, known as the Aeos Island, is the home of Unite. In this region, which is located somewhere in the undiscovered oceanic frontiers of the Pokémon world, players will be meeting familiar monsters but in a completely new environment. Aeos Island is the home of the Unite Battle Committee which oversees the Unite Battle tournaments. Players who come to Aeos Island will be taking part in these battles where they will need to team up with four other Trainers and compete. The competition will see these teams of four go head-to-head to score enough points to win before time runs out. Players will also encounter a new, unique energy called Aeos energy which allows them to evolve their Pokémon in battle.
The Aeos Island Unite Battles
Trainers will need to face off in 5-on-5 battles. During these battles, they will need to take down their opponents as well as wild Pokémon to gather Aeos energy. They will then need to deposit this energy in one of the opposing team’s goals. That said, the battles won’t be as straightforward. Each stadium will have its own set of rules which will challenge Trainers. Who knows, you might even encounter some Legendary Pokémon in your battles. Pokémon level up and gain new moves and even evolve during battles. However, unlike other regions, Pokémon in the Aeos Islands revert to Level 1 after each battle.
Source: The Pokémon Company International
Trainers will come face-to-face in battles that will challenge them. Elite teams will force Trainers to think out of the box for a strategy to win. Communication and teamwork will be the key to success as Trainers take on Unite Battles. Synergise with your team and find your role in your team. While classic Pokémon strengths and weakness don’t exist in Aeos Island, each Pokémon has one of five unique roles and play styles – Attacker, Defender, Speedster, Supporter and All-Rounder – for you to master.
Source: The Pokémon Company International
Source: The Pokémon Company International
Source: The Pokémon Company International
You start off as a rookie, you will make your way up the ladder from the Beginners Cup to take on the Master Cup. Your ranked battles will be on show for the world to see on the global ranking boards. Trainers will also be able to use Holowear to dress up their Pokémon. Take a snapshot of your Trainer avatar with your Pokemon and use it as your profile picture to show off your unique style.
Pricing & Availability
Pokémon Unite will be free to start. Trainers have the option to purchase additional items, Unite Licenses and more using Aeos Gems. Aeos Gems can be acquired through in-app purchases. However, if that’s not your groove, you can earn Aeos Tickets and Aeos Coins in-game as you progress.
Pokémon Unite will be released on the Nintendo Switch and on mobile. There are plans for cross-platform play but it is unclear if it will be available at launch. The game will be on the Nintendo Switch in July 2021 with the mobile version planned for September 2021.
How do you know when you have a winning product? Well, if you’re Nintendo, it’s when everyone seems to be looking at mimicking it. In a report from Android Police, it looks like Qualcomm might be the latest in line with plans to create a gaming console similar to Nintendo’s money making Switch.
While it may seem like Qualcomm is looking to get into the console gaming space, the report says otherwise. Instead, the company is looking to spur innovation for its partners in adopting new, unconventional form factors for devices. This also means that the device could likely be a limited run – unless Qualcomm is working to get into the hardware space.
The Qualcomm powered mobile gaming console looks to be mimicking the form factor of the Nintendo Switch. According to Android Police, it shares the same detachable “joycon” controllers. However, the console itself seems to be resembling a thicker smartphone. The chonky design choice is apparently meant to help with cooling which will allow Qualcomm to push the processor a little bit harder. Speaking of, it seems like the console will be coming with the next generation Qualcomm processor. This seems to be supported by the fact that Qualcomm is looking to release it sometime in Q1 of 2022.
The console will apparently be equipped with 5G connectivity albeit with the current generation X55 modem. It’s expected to come with the standard array of connectivity options we see in standard mobile phones. This includes GPS, Bluetooth, accelerometers and some haptics. However, it’s uncertain whether Qualcomm will be using a standard chip design or using specially customised one like the Snapdragon 855+ which was on the ROG Phone. It’s reported to have an SD Card slot as well and a large 6,000mAh battery. No screen size has been confirmed however, Android Police and XDA Editor in Chief Mishaal Rahman estimates it to be about 6.65-inches. It’s uncertain whether the console will comes with a dedicated port for TV out or go with the USB-C port like the Nintendo Switch. However, the console will be running Android 12 with a customised skin.
I heard it'll have a 6.65" Full HD+ display, a 6000mAh battery, and support a fan. It apparently doesn't even have a rear camera.
That aside, it looks like Qualcomm might be gearing up for some serious gaming content. The console will apparently be launching with Epic Game’s app. The company is also looking to build its own content library portal for the console. It’s still unclear if they will be teaming up with XBOX, NVIDIA or Google Stadia for even more content but it’s likely that they are looking to keep most of the gaming content offline to showcase the graphics capabilities of their SoC.
The move is an interesting one given the current landscape where we are seeing an increasing number of people gaming on mobile. However, it could also indicate that Qualcomm might be signalling that it’s ready to start making chips for portable consoles like the Nintendo Switch. This would be a big jump as the Switch currently uses a customised NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor while other consoles like the PS5 come with a customised AMD processor. The push for unconventional form factors is another interesting move from Qualcomm and could be the impetus we need to see an other N.Gage hit the scene.
Garena is taking it’s mobile battle royale game to new heights with a new partnership with Japanese publishing company, Kondansha. The new partnership will see iconic designs from hit anime and comic, Attack on Titan, make its way to the game in the coming month. This is the first in a series of partnerships that Garena is undertaking to elevate the gaming experience in Free Fire.
The new update will bring content inspired from Attack on Titan to the game. Players will be able to equip weapons with Survey Corps signature colours and even dress up as the terrifying, man-eating Kyojin (Titans) from the hit series. The two highlights are simply the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the partnership. Players can look forward to other features such as gun skins and other in-game items and collectibles.
The partnership is expected to kick off in March. The partnership is the latest in a series that Garena has been rolling out for Free Fire. Previously, the company partnered with Netflix’ Money Heist television series in addition to a large scale partnership with celebrity footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo.
It looks like being featured in games is now becoming a norm for celebrities. The latest one to join the bandwagon is renown footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo. The Juventus forward will be making his action game debut in Garena’s first-ever in-house developed game, Free Fire. The Free Fire appearance marks the start of a partnership between Cristiano Ronaldo and Garena. Moving forward, the footballer will be the official international ambassador for the mobile Battle Royale game.
Cristiano Ronaldo will be making his debut as a mysterious, new character called “Chrono”. The new character marks a whole change in paradigm which will be coming to the mobile game soon. Chrono will be making his debut on December 19, 2020, along with changes coming to the game. Not much is known on how Chrono’s introduction to Free Fire will change things but Garena is teasing a whole new experience.
Garena has announced a brand-new format and schedule of Free Fire’s international tournament for this year. The new Free Fire Continental Series (FFCS) will be the game’s first series to happen online only. The tournament comprises of three separate series which will be held from 22nd November to 29th November simultaneously around the world.
Source: Garena
The three different series that will run simultaneously are the American series, the EMEA series and the Asia series. The Americas series consists of Brazil and the rest of Latin American whereas the Asia series will include Taipei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam. On the other hand, the EMEA series will involve Europe, Russia, the Middle East and North Africa.
The Free Fire Continental Series will have a combined prize pool of USD$900,000 (MYR3,705,452.72). This will be split equally over the three series; Each series will have US$300,000 up for grabs. To earn their pot, teams will need to pass through two stages: the Play-ins and the Finals. Teams competing in the Play-ins and the Finals will be seeded from the recently concluded Free Fire Tri-nation Cup.
Source: Garena
Each team will have to battle over 6 rounds across 3 maps and points will be awarded based on round ranking and the number of kills. Contenders will be playing on the Bermuda, Purgatory and Kalahari maps in Free Fire. The top-seeded teams from each local-level tournament will earn the rights to enter their respective Grand Finals. However, the rest of the teams can only earn their place to be in the Grand Finals by beating the other teams in the region.
The Grand Finals will be contested by the number one teams from each of the countries in the Asia series which consists of Tapei, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam. On the other hand, the second- and third-seeded of the Asia series will battle against each other to get into the five coveted Grand Final spots.
