Niantic, the company behind the hugely successful Pokémon Go, are looking to enter J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World with an upcoming augmented reality mobile game. Dubbed Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, the game will give players around the world the chance to learn and cast spells, discover mysterious artifacts, encounter and battle legendary beasts, as well team up with others in order to take down powerful enemies, all while exploring their real world neighborhoods and cities. So, be ready for random people to wander through your yard in search of a Blast-Ended Skrewt.
John Hanke, founder and CEO of Niantic, said, "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." The upcoming game will be developed together with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, whose president, David Haddad, added, "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." Not a lot of information has been released about the game, but more details will be forthcoming in 2018.
The world of Harry Potter has shown no signs of slowing down following the release of the final film in the franchise, with a two-part stage play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, premiering last year as well as the release of FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM, which was the first film in what is expected to be a five-film series.
What are your thoughts on Harry Potter: Wizards Unite so far, and, more importantly, will you be playing it?