Mystic Messenger’s most dedicated players are suddenly finding themselves locked out of the game, with community reports pointing to a ban wave apparently targeting accounts carrying unusually large stocks of Hourglasses. For a free-to-play dating sim that has spent years relying on its veteran fanbase rather than regular new content, the incident has landed like a particularly cruel twist in the story.
The affected players say they logged in normally, only to receive a notice claiming that “abusive behavior” had been detected on their accounts. The message does not clearly explain what triggered the punishment, leaving players to compare account histories, Hourglass totals, and support responses in an effort to find a pattern.
Reports initially suggested that accounts with around 1,000 or more Hourglasses were especially likely to be caught up in the sweep, although players with smaller balances have also claimed to be affected. The number of confirmed cases remains unclear, but the discussion quickly spread across the Mystic Messenger community, where long-term players began sharing screenshots and correspondence with Cheritz.
A currency earned through years of loyalty
Hourglasses are Mystic Messenger’s premium currency. Players can purchase them directly, but they can also accumulate them through ordinary play, including completing content and returning to the game over long periods. That distinction is at the heart of the current controversy: a large balance may look suspicious to an automated system, even when it is the result of years of legitimate activity.
Mystic Messenger originally launched on Android in July 2016, followed by its iOS release in August of that year. Cheritz’s mobile otome game built its identity around scheduled chatrooms, phone calls, messages, branching routes, and a cast that encouraged players to keep checking in throughout the day. The format was unusually demanding for a romance game, but it also helped create a committed audience that treated the RFA characters as a long-running part of their lives.
The game remains available on both major mobile platforms, and its storefront listings continue to show in-app purchases for Hourglasses, calling cards, and other extras. Google Play currently lists the game as a single-player interactive story, while Apple’s listing identifies Cheritz as both developer and seller. Those listings also show that Mystic Messenger is still being maintained at a basic technical level, even if its major story expansion period is long behind it.
That history makes the current situation especially frustrating. A player who has been logging in for years may have a balance that appears enormous compared with a new user, but that balance is not necessarily evidence of cheating, account manipulation, or unauthorized purchases.
Why the ban message has caused so much alarm
Cheritz’s response to affected users has reportedly involved asking for purchase receipts where Hourglasses were bought with real money. That request may make sense for investigating fraudulent transactions, but it is a poor fit for players who earned most of their currency through gameplay or accumulated it gradually across nearly a decade.
Some players have said that support later reviewed their account logs and reversed the restriction. Those reports are community accounts rather than a comprehensive official resolution, but they reinforce the possibility that at least some bans were issued in error. Other players have described difficulty proving how their balances were obtained, particularly when purchases date back several years or when most of the currency was earned in-game.
Cheritz has previously acknowledged that mistaken bans can happen. In an older official FAQ, the company said that normal behaviors such as repeated save-and-load use, traveling between time zones, and certain login issues should not automatically result in an account ban. The same notice also distinguished those actions from abuse involving paid features, time manipulation, illicit tools, or altered game data.
That earlier policy is important context, but it does not explain the current wave. Cheritz has not publicly established that simply owning a high number of Hourglasses is itself prohibited, nor has it clearly stated whether a new detection system is responsible for the reports. Any theory involving an automated security check or data inspection process remains speculation unless the developer confirms it.
A long-running game caught between maintenance and monetization
Mystic Messenger is not a conventional live-service game. Its core routes are effectively finite, and the game’s most significant story additions arrived years ago. Yet it still depends on account access, functioning servers, and a working economy because players continue to replay routes, unlock missed chatrooms, collect calls, and revisit seasonal content.
Cheritz has continued to announce maintenance and occasional events. Official notices in 2025 and 2026 referenced database work, server optimization, login rewards, birthday celebrations, and limited-time content. A February 2026 maintenance notice, for example, promised Hourglass compensation after server work, showing that the currency remains central to the game’s ongoing operation.
That creates a difficult balance. Long-term players are the people most likely to own substantial reserves, but they are also the audience most invested in the game’s survival. Treating those accounts as inherently suspicious risks alienating the very community that has kept Mystic Messenger visible long after its main development cycle ended.
There is also a commercial concern behind the anxiety. If Cheritz were preparing a major anniversary event or new playable content, players with large Hourglass reserves could unlock paid or time-gated material without making additional purchases. That possibility may explain why fans are looking for a financial motive, but no confirmed announcement establishes that a substantial new story update is on the way.
The damage goes beyond a temporary login problem
For a standard free-to-play title, an erroneous ban is already serious. In Mystic Messenger, it can erase years of progress, purchased items, collected calls, route history, and personal attachment to an account. The game’s unusual real-time structure also makes its community feel less disposable than the average mobile audience: players did not merely finish a campaign; many built routines around it.
The best immediate response would be a transparent explanation from Cheritz, followed by a proper review process based on account logs rather than a blanket demand for receipts. Players who earned their Hourglasses legitimately should not be expected to reconstruct years of activity from memory or old email records.
Mystic Messenger has survived because its fans continued showing up. If the current bans are the result of a flawed inspection system, Cheritz has an opportunity to repair the damage by acknowledging the mistake, restoring affected accounts, and explaining what safeguards will prevent it from happening again. Until then, the game’s most loyal players are left wondering whether dedication itself has become a punishable offense.
Sources
vg247.com
cheritzteam.tumblr.com
play.google.com
apps.apple.com
reddit.com
