Players of NetEase's popular mobile game Harry Potter: Magic Awakened have reported coming across an unfortunate "glitch" which only seems to affect female characters under certain conditions.
It appears that when female wizards take damage from enemy spells, they can squint and stick their tongues out. Fans were quick to point out that this particular facial expression is uncomfortably close to 'ahegao'.
Before we go down this seedy road, take a look at the trailer for Hogwarts Legacy below!
For those who are making it good, clean life choices and don't know this term, 'ahegao' is a phrase with origins in the Japanese porn industry. It's basically the word used to describe a woman's face as she reaches climax. The term was ultimately picked up by the internet, and has since become a shorthand for a very specific face - the face that's now appearing in the Harry Potter game.
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Given that the game's male characters don't make the same face at any point in the game, players started to wonder if NetEase had snuck in a deliberately NSFW Easter egg. The developer, however, insisted in a statement that it was far from intentional and claims it was an unfortunate glitch caused by tongues clipping through chins. Sure.
In any case, NetEase has since patched out the "glitch" and has compensated players with a handful of in-game items.
Harry Potter: Magic Awakened is currently only available in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. The RPG/card game hybrid is expected to release across Europe and America at some point next year. Presumably without any ahegao faces.
Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros/NetEaseTopics: Harry Potter
