- boonslevincog
Gaming Weekly: Pikmin Bloom Community Day, Neftlix Games, Animal Crossing, Arcane/PUBG Collab, etc.
Our second edition of Gaming Weekly, our weekly blog on a handful (from the plethora available) of mobile gaming/Switch related news kicks it off strongly. Here's the agenda:
If you're wondering why there's nothing Pokémon related here, check out our most recent Pokémon Weekly.
For timely updates on these items, make sure to follow BoonSlevin on Twitter.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
On November 2, 2021, Niantic announced that Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will shut down as of January 31, 2022; with the game being removed from the App/Google Play Stores on December 6, 2021. From Niantic:
Not all games are meant to last forever. Our goal with Harry Potter: Wizards Unite was to bring the magic of the wizarding world to life for millions of players as they stepped outside and explored their neighborhoods. We accomplished that together, delivering a two-year narrative story arc that will soon complete.
Various gameplay changes took place as of November 2, 2021 including increased rewards. The story arc to be completed by January 31, 2021. More details here.
Niantic
Nine titles in development
Following two big news from Niantic (release of Pikmin Bloom and the announcement of the shutdown of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite), the company reminded the community that it has nine other titles in development (including Transformers: Heavy Metal, Transformers' version of Pokémon GO, which currently is available in BETA in select regions). For more information about Transformers: Heavy Metal, click here.
Niantic ID
In addition, Niantic has released Niantic ID, a way to use one of your existing usernames from one of Niantic's titles to lock in as your Niantic ID, which will be your primary, unique identity across all of Niantic’s games and experiences.
This does not mean that your in-game usernames will change. Rather, your existing (and future) in-game usernames will be connected to your Niantic ID, so even if you play multiple games and have a different username for each, your friends can always recognize and find you by your Niantic ID. This also means that you won’t need to completely start from scratch when you play a new Niantic title, as your Profile and Friends List will already be synced with this Niantic ID.
All players of Niantic titles are eligible to claim their Niantic ID starting today through November 26, 2021. If you already have an in-game username that you love, click here to lock in that username as your Niantic ID! For those that want a Niantic ID that is not the same as any of your current in-game usernames, please stay tuned for more information.
Pikmin Bloom
On the 20th anniversary of Pikmin, Niantic (in collaboration with Nintendo) announced the release of Pikmin Bloom. As of today, the game is available in more than 20 regions/countries (complete list here). Pikmin Bloom aims at bringing a little joy to your everyday journeys on foot by having you grow your own Pikmin and taking them on expeditions in the real world.
Make sure to join our growing Discord community, and to select the Pikmin Bloom role to make friends!
For those searching for the ultimate goal in Pikmin Bloom, you might be disappointed. There is no goal other than making your walks a little more enjoyable and collecting various Pikmin (Decor Pikmin, i.e. hat wearing Pikmin) while doing so.
If we're being completely honest, the game is quite enjoyable and does make your daily walks more fun, but mostly passively (i.e. in the background while you enjoy Pokémon GO or any other AR/Geolocation game you play).
Niantic announced that the concept of Community Day, from Pokémon GO, would be recycled into Pikmin Bloom. The first Community will take place November 13, 2021 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. local time and will have the following features:
Seedlings growth at 1.5x speed
2x Nectar from Fruits
Walk 10,000 steps to earn a special "Community Day Participant" Badge
Big Flowers will bloom into Pansies
Finally, we collaborated with reddit user Tatebeatz to bring you a COMPLETE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE for new players (and even somewhat experienced ones).
Netflix Games
Netflix Games launched on November 3, 2021 on Android via the Netflix app. Available games at launch are:
Stranger Things: 1984
Stranger Things 3: The Game
Shooting Hoops
Card Blast
Teeter Up
Netflix subscription required. iOS coming later.
Arcane (Riot Games) & PUBG Mobile Collab
Riot Games and PUBG Mobile announced a partnership to bring character, items, and locations from the upcoming Netflix series Arcane into PUBG Mobile in mid-November as part of its Version 1.7 update, giving fans unique new experiences in one of Riot’s first partnerships to bring the world of League of Legends to more players worldwide.
Arcane, created by Riot Games in partnership with Fortiche Productions, will debut on Tencent Video in China and Netflix globally on November 6 at 7pm PT. The first TV series based on the League of Legends universe, the show will follow the origins of two iconic League champions, and the power that will tear them apart.
Nintendo Switch - Top 10 Games
Along with its Q2 2021 reporting update, Nintendo released the all-time top 10 games (in terms of units sold) for the Nintendo Switch.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (38.74 million units)
Animal Crossing: New Horizons (34.85 million units)
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (25.71 million units)
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of Wild (24.13 million units)
Pokémon Sword/Pokémon Shield (22.64 million units)
Super Mario Odyssey (21.95 million units)
Super Mario Party (16.48 million units)
Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!/Pokémon: Le's Go, Eevee! (13.83 million units)
Splatoon 2 (12.65 million units)
Ring Fit Advnture (12.21 million units)
Interestingly enough, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has now become the best selling entry from the Mario Kart series.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Free + Paid Update)
Scheduled for November 5, 2021, the much anticipated update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons landed on the Nintendo Switch a full day ahead, November 4, 2021, to all players' delight.
For more information on the free update and Paid DLC, click here.
Google Play: Users' Choice Game 2021
Google announced the nominees for the Users' Choice Game Award for 2021. Click here to submit your vote before November 17, 2021! Nominees' ranking as of November 5, 2021 - Noon EST:
Pokémon UNITE
Beatstar - Touch Your Music
League of Legends: Wild Rift
Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!
Score! Hero 2
Suspects: Mystery Mansion
Garena Free Fire MAX
MARVEL Future Revolution
Project Makeover
Magic: The Gathering Arena
Harry Potter: Magic Awakened
Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, released on September 9, 2021, is officially on track to be the franchise's most profitable mobile game with $228 millions USD from players spending despite only being available in select Asian countries.
The comparison further helps to illustrate the rationale behind the recently announced shutdown of Niantic's Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, which only pulled $39M USD in players' spending since launch in June of 2019 (over two years ago).
Source: Sensor Tower