Sexually suggestive facial expressions curse NetEase’s Harry Potter game in China

Gamers said that female characters consistently made facial expressions that were similar to anime pornography

NetEase apologised on Tuesday and said it would fix the problem and investigate the situation

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A new Harry Potter mobile video game came under fire in China after seemingly sexually explicit animations from the game went viral. Photo: Weibo

Published: 6:00pm, 17 Nov 2021Updated: 9:21pm, 17 Nov 2021

Chinese gaming and e-commerce company NetEase apologised on Tuesday afternoon after its new mobile Harry Potter game received backlash for reportedly featuring sexually suggestive women characters.

In the game Harry Potter: Magic Awakened , a female character’s reactions during a fight appeared similar to the sexually exaggerated facial expressions common in anime pornography. Male game characters did not react in the same way.

Gamers complained that the facial expressions made them feel uncomfortable, and the animation appeared to show the character having an orgasm.

Examples of facial expressions used by Harry Potter: Magic Awakened during a fight. Photo: Weibo

“I did not believe it when others brought up this problem, but when I logged in and looked carefully, it made me want to puke,” one said on Weibo.

“It is a big company, so when it makes a mistake like that, it makes people wonder whether it was intentional,” another said. NetEase is the second largest gaming company in China.