If you check Amazon, the Harry Potter books remain big sellers, even approaching a decade-and-a-half since the last volume was released. While Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery can’t claim that kind of longevity, the iOS game continues to be a cash machine three years after launching.
According to a new report from Sensor Tower, the game — which launched in 2018 — has reached player spending of $300 million. In Hogwarts Mystery, players create their own characters, and then guide them through daily life at Hogwarts — including attending classes, forming friendships and rivalries, and more.
What’s impressive about Hogwarts Mystery‘s money spinning is how it doesn’t seem to be slowing down with time. If anything, like Pokémon Go, it seems to be picking up momentum as time goes by. According to the figures in Sensor Tower‘s report, it took the game nine months to pull in $100 million of user spending. After this, there was another 16 months until it made $200 million. Then another 11 months later it hit $300 million. While it’s tough to extrapolate a strong trend from that (other than that it makes a lot of money), it does suggest it’s gained momentum recently. The report continues that:
“Over the last year from April 26, 2020 to April 25, 2021, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery has ranked as the No. 1 title worldwide by player spending in the Simulation Adventure subgenre with close to $105 million. It ranks above Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp by Nintendo at No. 2 with $77.5 million, and Disney Magic Kingdoms by Gameloft at No. 3 with $32 million.”
Making money disappear
The game was criticized in reviews for its money-grubbing ways. For instance, a Common Sense Media review pithily notes that: “Wizarding adventure makes money magically disappear.” Meanwhile, a review for the UK’s Guardian newspaper notes that:
“The enchantment fades when you get to the first story interlude, where your character becomes tangled up in Devil’s Snare. After a few seconds of furious tapping to free yourself from its clutches, your energy runs out and the game asks you to pay a couple of quid to refill it – or wait an hour or for it to recharge. Sadly, this is absolutely by design.”
The United States has been the most lucrative country for Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery. As is typical, overall, Google Play accounts for the majority of downloads (58%), while the iOS App Store made up to the bulk of revenue (52.6%).
You can download Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery from the App Store here. As noted, it’s free to download, but there are in-app purchases available.
Source: Sensor Tower
