A Harry Potter game for smartphones from Pokemon Go creators
Fans of all things Hogwarts will soon get a chance to explore J.K. Rowling’s fantasy world with new mobile game Wizards Unite from Niantic
“The game will use state-of-the-art AR [augmented reality] mobile technology and allow players to go on adventures, learn and cast spells, discover mysterious artefacts, and encounter legendary beasts and iconic characters as they explore real-world neighbourhoods and cities across the globe,” Niantic says in a press release.
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Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is only described as a “mobile” game; it's likely to come to both iPhone and Android, as previous Niantic games have. There’s no release date, but it sounds like fans will be waiting until at least 2018 – the press release says more information will be shared at some point next year.
Niantic CEO John Hanke teased a bit more information about the game in his personal announcement letter. “Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will leverage the full stack of the Niantic platform while also providing an opportunity to pioneer all new technology and gameplay mechanics,” he wrote.
Given Niantic’s history of making games that use the geolocation and augmented-reality features of smartphones, it sounds like Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will have players interacting with the real world through their smartphone camera.
Niantic is partnering with a new WB Games studio, Portkey Games, to create Wizards Unite.
The studio is described as “a new games label dedicated to creating video game and mobile experiences inspired by J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World”.
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For now, details about the game are scant, but more information will be forthcoming in 2018.
