Over a year since it was announced in November 2017, Warner Bros has lifted the lid on Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, a hotly anticipated new augmented reality game for smartphones due out later this year.
Developed by Pokémon Go creator Niantic in collaboration with Warner’s Portkey Games label, Wizards Unite overlays the wizarding world on the real world, asking players to walk around their neighbourhoods with their phones to uncover traces of magic. It draws both from the Harry Potter films and books, and the Fantastic Beasts additions.
Cast as an enforcer for the Statute of Secrecy Task Force – the organisation that keeps the magical world secret from us Muggles – players will find magical creatures, artefacts and characters, tracing spells on the phone’s screen to return them to their proper place. Some real-world locations will be transformed into Inns in the game, and it will also feature Portkeys that transport players to iconic places from the Potterverse, such as Ollivander’s wand shop in Diagon Alley. Users will also be to team up for duels, using spells and potions to track down and defeat Dementors and Death Eaters.
Niantic’s previous game, Pokémon Go, became a global phenomenon when it was released in 2016, peaking at 300 million players. It still has about 60 million active players, and has been continually updated over the years with new Pokémon and features. The developer – and Warner – will be hoping for similar success with Wizards Unite, which is based on another childhood favourite of the millennial generation.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will be released later this year. Pre-registration for Android players is available through Google Play.
