Remember Pokémon Go? That mobile game that came out in the summer of 2016 and absolutely dominated pop culture for three months? Everywhere you went, at all hours of the day, someone was inevitably wandering around catching Kakunas. Well, get ready for it to happen all over again — the Pokémon Go creators have announced that they are developing a similar game, entitled Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, that’s based on J.K. Rowling’s magical world.
“We’re incredibly excited to announce this next step in the evolution of AR mobile entertainment,” Niantic said in a statement. “With Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, players that have been dreaming of becoming real-life Wizards will finally get the chance to experience J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World. Players will learn spells, explore their real-world neighborhoods and cities to discover & fight legendary beasts and team up with others to take down powerful enemies.”
Niantic is partnering with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Warner Bros. Games to bring the platform to life.
Tech Radar is also reporting that Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is just one game in a series called Portkey Games that Niantic is developing. The Portkey Games will all be Harry Potter related, strategically released within the coming years.
Along with learning spells and fighting monsters, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite players can also expect to discover artifacts, interact with iconic characters and team up with one another. We're going to assume that gamers will be sorted into a Hogwarts House similar to the way they were sorted into teams in Pokémon Go, although this has not been confirmed.
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“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 of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, via Entertainment Weekly. “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.”
No release date has been set yet, but Niantic promises more information regarding Harry Potter: Wizards Unite to come in 2018. We’re going to start practicing our Patronus charm now to prepare.