Yes, There WILL Be a “Pokémon Go”-Style “Harry Potter” Game!

by · November 8, 2017

Ever since Pokémon Go came out in the summer of 2016, the reaction of Harry Potter fans everywhere has been basically the same: “This is great – but you know what would be really cool? This, but for Harry Potter.” Though this long seemed as nothing more than fans’ wishful thinking, Pottermore announced today that a new series of Potter-inspired mobile and console games is on its way.

The flagship game of this new enterprise, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, is a collaboration between Niantic, Inc. – the developer of Pokémon Go – and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s Porkey Games. Here’s more information about the game from the press release:

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will reveal that magic is all around us and allow players to be a part of Harry Potter’s rich world, through Niantic’s AR + real-world mobile game platform and the franchise expertise of WB Games San Francisco’s development and publishing team. By exploring real-world neighborhoods and cities across the globe, players will go on adventures, learn and cast spells, discover mysterious artifacts, and encounter legendary beasts and iconic characters.

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is part of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s Portkey Games, a new games label dedicated to creating video game and mobile experiences inspired by J.K. Rowling’s [w]izarding [w]orld.

Founder and CEO of Niantic, Inc. John Hanke shared his opinion of the announcement:

At Niantic, our goal is to leverage technology to create real[-]world experiences that help people to discover the wonderful and often magical parts of the world around them. The beloved Harry Potter stories have captured imaginations worldwide for more than 20 years, and soon we’ll turn the fantasy into augmented reality, allowing fans and their friends to become wizards and witches.

David Haddad, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, added his thoughts to Hanke’s comments:

With this game, we are allowing the passionate, worldwide fan base to experience J.K. Rowling’s deeply powerful and imaginative universe in a new, truly immersive way. It is wonderful to have Niantic’s remarkable augmented reality expertise as we develop this incredibly rich wizarding world for players to explore in their everyday lives.

You can keep up-to-date on Harry Potter: Wizards Unite on Twitter and Facebook – or sign up to receive updates on the game here.

 

Press Release

NIANTIC, INC. AND WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP FOR HARRY POTTER: WIZARDS UNITE, AN AUGMENTED REALITY MOBILE GAME INSPIRED BY J.K. ROWLING’S WIZARDING WORLD

Augmented Reality Mobile Game Brings J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World To Life For Fans Around The World

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – November 8, 2017 -- Niantic, Inc. and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today announced the development of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, an augmented reality (AR) mobile game inspired by J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World. Published by Niantic and co-developed by Niantic and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, under the Portkey Games label, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will use state-of-the-art augmented reality mobile technology to put magic in the hands of aspiring wizards and witches worldwide.

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will reveal that magic is all around us, and allow players to be a part of Harry Potter's rich world, through Niantic’s AR + real-world mobile game platform and the franchise expertise of WB Games San Francisco’s development and publishing team. By exploring real-world neighborhoods and cities across the globe, players will go on adventures, learn and cast spells, discover mysterious artifacts, and encounter legendary beasts and iconic characters.

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is part of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s Portkey Games, a new games label dedicated to creating video game and mobile experiences inspired by J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World.

“At Niantic, our goal is to leverage technology to create real world experiences that help people to discover the wonderful, and often magical parts of the world around them,” said John Hanke, founder and CEO of Niantic, Inc. “The beloved Harry Potter stories have captured imaginations worldwide for more than 20 years and soon we’ll turn the fantasy into augmented reality, allowing fans and their friends to become wizards and witches.”

“With this game, we are allowing the passionate, worldwide fan base to experience J.K. Rowling’s deeply powerful and imaginative universe in a new, truly immersive way,” said David Haddad, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “It is wonderful to have Niantic’s remarkable augmented reality expertise as we develop this incredibly rich wizarding world for players to explore in their everyday lives.”

Additional details for Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will be announced in 2018.

To stay up to date on Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, please visit: www.harrypotterwizardsunite.com and sign-up to receive the latest information and follow the game on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HPWizardsUnite/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/HPWizardsUnite

About Niantic, Inc.
Niantic, Inc., builds mobile real-world experiences that foster fun, exploration, discovery and social interaction. Originally incubated within Google, Niantic, Inc., spun out in 2015, with investments from Google, The Pokémon Company, and Nintendo. The company’s immersive real-world mobile games Pokémon GO and Ingress are available on the App Store and Google Play. Harry Potter: Wizard’s Unite is Niantic, Inc.’s third game and is being co-developed with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. For more information on Niantic, visit www.nianticlabs.com.

About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment:
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Inc., is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all platforms, including console, handheld, mobile and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.

About the Harry Potter Series:
Harry Potter continues to be a global phenomenon. Each of the seven books by author J.K. Rowling has broken sales records, with the series to date having sold over 450 million copies worldwide and translated into 80 languages. The Harry Potter films, produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, have grossed more than $7.7 billion to date worldwide at the box office, making Harry Potter the largest-grossing film franchise in history.

About Portkey Games:
Portkey Games, from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, is a games label dedicated to creating gaming experiences inspired by the magic and adventures of J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World. These new games allow players to explore, discover and be at the center of their very own Wizarding World adventure.

WB GAMES LOGO, WB SHIELD: ™ & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
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HARRY POTTER: WIZARDS UNITE software © 2017 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Developed by Niantic. Portkey Games © 2017 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts Publishing Rights © J.K. Rowling. J.K. ROWLING’S WIZARDING WORLD is a trademark of J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Portkey Games, Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts characters, names and related indicia are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Jessica J.

I've been making magic at MuggleNet since 2012, when I first joined the staff as a News intern. I've never wavered from the declaration in my childhood journal, circa October 2000: "I LOVE Harry Potter! If I clean my room, my mom says she'll make me a dinner a wizard would love!" Proud Gryffindor; don't hate.