Here's a wild one for the dating sim crowd: Mystic Messenger's big 7th anniversary celebration apparently came with a hidden ban hammer for the game's most devoted players. Cheritz, the developer, has been handing out bans in droves — and the target isn't cheaters or exploiters, but people who have been playing the game legitimately for years.

The issue? The anniversary event gave out free hourglasses, the premium currency. Players who had stockpiled thousands over time — from years of grinding, not buying — suddenly got flagged by an automated system that apparently mistook loyalty for bot behavior. So the people who actually stuck with a game that hasn't seen meaningful content since 2018 are getting kicked out for having too much of a resource the game itself gave them.

It's the kind of irony that stings. Cheritz has acknowledged the bans are happening and says they're reviewing appeals, but for a community that's kept the game alive through sheer dedication, a "we'll look into it" feels a little thin. If you're a longtime Mystic Messenger player with a fat hourglass wallet, maybe hold off on logging in until the dust settles — and definitely keep screenshots of your play history handy.

Sources: VG247