UPDATED: Harry Potter New York Permanently Closes Virtual Reality Experiences

by · April 7, 2023

Based on information that MuggleNet has received, the flagship Wizarding World store in New York City, Harry Potter New York, has made the sudden decision to shut down its virtual reality (VR) experiences as of yesterday, April 6. As noted in a MuggleNet review of the VR experiences, these were called “Wizards Take Flight” and “Chaos at Hogwarts.” They were unrelated to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme parks but provided fans with another immersive experience set within the fictional wizarding world.

Some visitors to the store had noted that tickets for the VR experiences were shown as being available for purchase online only through April 5. Although the official Twitter account for Harry Potter New York previously responded to related tweets with a generic message that announcements would be made when more tickets were released, the account has since confirmed that the VR experiences have been closed.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, the closure of the VR experiences at Harry Potter New York has included the layoffs of employees whose work was related to these experiences. One individual replied to the store’s Twitter handle with a tweet on the subject.

 

 

MuggleNet has heard from another source who mentioned that potentially dozens of employees of Harry Potter New York were affected by the layoffs.

At the time of publication, Harry Potter New York has not published an announcement related to the closure of its VR experiences. In its tweets to those who have asked about the experiences, however, the store has provided a response.

Our VR experiences are now closed and we’ll be reopening those spaces to showcase even more of your favorite Wizarding World products soon. Keep an eye on our social channels for updates.

It is unclear what led to the decision to close the VR experiences at Harry Potter New York, seemingly without warning. There have been financial concerns related to other areas of the Wizarding World franchise in 2023, as we have covered in a piece on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. At the same time, CNBC reports that layoffs have increased significantly in the United States, so it could be tied to wider economic pressures here in the Muggle world.

Did you get a chance to try out the VR experiences at Harry Potter New York? Are you sad that they have closed? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

UPDATE (3:26 p.m. ET):

An update made to the Harry Potter New York website acknowledges the closure of the VR experiences.

After a successful 18[-]month run, the Harry Potter VR experiences (Wizards Take Flight and Chaos at Hogwarts) at Harry Potter New York have closed.