'Harry Potter: Wizards Unite:' First game details from 'Pokémon GO' studio
Harry Potter and his friends may be getting the "Pokemon GO" treatment.
Niantic, the developer of the smart phone-based game "Pokemon GO" announced that they are developing a Harry Potter-themed game called "Harry Potter: Wizards Unite" which would have the same augmented reality feel of "Pokemon GO."
The game developer made the announcement on their website, confirming rumors about the game's development last summer even if it was quickly quashed. After that, another round of reports came out that Niantic used one of their video games "Ingress" which came out in 2012 as a major influence on how to possibly adapt the Harry Potter universe to an augmented reality.
Adding to the announcement, Niantic also said that, "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 and fight legendary beasts and team up with others to take down powerful enemies."
Niantic is reportedly collaborating with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and the WB Games San Francisco team to develop the game. With the video game developer's announcement, it confirmed rumors that they are adapting the game mechanics of "Ingress" to be able to do spell-casting in Potterverse. The mention of battling legendary beasts could mean the that the game might not closely follow the narrative of the books but rather go with its bigger universe and possibly tie in with the sequel to "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" which will be released by Warner Bros. in the later part of 2018.
"Pokemon GO" which was released last summer was a big hit for Niantic as it became the biggest mobile game in the United States, having had 21 million active users just one week after its launch. The game has now been downloaded 750 million times in just one year and Niantic could hit another goldmine with the Harry Potter universe.
"Harry Potter: Wizards Unite" is slated to be released sometime in 2018.
