Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is an officially licensed game developed by Jam City to lure in all the Potterheads of the world who have been waiting for an official game that delves into the Harry Potter universe. All this might be well and good, if not for the slight problem that the game’s micro-transaction system and in-game energy limits are so restrictive. There has been widespread criticism of the game over social media, and the developers might be reacting by giving discounts.
Most people understand that free-to-play games need to earn, and will tolerate a certain level of in-game energy restriction or paying for in-game currency. But Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery seems to have crossed a line when it featured a gamer dilemma within the first 20 minutes of the game – you need to pay up to keep your character from being strangled.
In response to the criticism, discounts have been monitored in the game – very large ones for lost of in-game currency. But it wasn’t long until players realized that there were different discounts being made available for different users in different territories. This might be proof of A/B testing by the developers, to see which discounts get the most purchases from players.
A/B testing is not unusual in apps and games, but it seems to be detrimental to the health of the game at this point. This game is an officially licensed game, and it seems that the developers did not do their homework on the transactional elements of the game, or have been pressured to earn money by the creators of the game.
SOURCE: Eurogamer
