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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Technology
Andrew Griffin

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite finally released in Australia and New Zealand, as rest of world waits for new Pokemon Go game

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, a new version of Pokemon Go that takes place in JK Rowling's universe, is finally here.

But it has arrived in a very limited mode, with only people in Australia and New Zealand able to play, and the game still in a limited beta version.

Players in those two countries can now download it through the relevant app stores on iOS and Android. It will not be possible to access it anywhere else, however.

In 2016, when Pokemon Go was released, the game also came to app stores in Australia and New Zealand first before rolling out across the world. That time around it was possible to download the file for Android and force phones to open it no matters where users were – but that appears to have been avoided this time around, and trying stops the game working properly.

Players in the rest of the world were instead encouraged to sign up for updates at the game's official website. Android owners can pre-register on Google Play, and iPhone users were asked to "stay tuned or more updates".

The game's website cautions players that it is an early version of the game and that there could still be issues.

"Please note this is a beta version of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. Features, available languages, design, and overall appearance are not final," a message reads. "The product might be buggy and unstable at times. We're looking forward to your feedback so that we can improve the game experience."

Pokemon Go was hit by a variety of issues when it arrived, though many of them were thought to be related to the vast amount of interest when the game first came out. While Wizards Unite has been highly anticipated – especially after a series of false starts and mysterious announcements – interest in the new game isn't expected to be quite so high.

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