Niantic Labs, the developer behind Pokémon GO, is working on a new augmented reality game that will be based on the Harry Potter franchise.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, which will be released next year, will look to tap into the franchise's massive and dedicated fan base to launch with the same hype as Pokémon GO.
What We Know So Far About 'Harry Potter: Wizards Unite'
Niantic Labs announced Harry Potter: Wizards Unite through an official blog post that likely sent Potterheads all over the world into a frenzy. There were rumors last year that the developer was going to make a Harry Potter version of Pokémon GO, but they were debunked. That project has turned out to be real.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will use the same augmented reality technology that Niantic Labs introduced with its first AR game, Ingress, and continued with Pokémon GO. The developer will team up with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and the development team of WB Games San Francisco for the project.
"Players will learn spells, explore their real world neighborhoods and cities to discover & fight legendary beasts and team up with others to take down powerful enemies," Niantic Labs said in the press release. The description falls in line with the information from last year's rumors that players will visit wizardry schools scattered around the world, while completing quests to learn spells that can be used in magical combat against players in rival factions.
It appears that Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will take cues from Ingress, where players collect power-ups as they move around in the real world, defend locations, and explore their surroundings.
The AR game is now officially on its way, but aside from the above information, details are scarce. For fans of the Harry Potter series, however, the experience already sounds magical.
What We Want To See In 'Harry Potter: Wizards Unite'
Fans of the Harry Potter franchise will have a long list of features that they want to see in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. That list likely includes the ability to cast the iconic spells from the series, the inclusion of characters such as Harry Potter himself and Lord Voldemort, and perhaps even a round of Quidditch.
However, the most important thing that players should demand from Niantic Labs is to make sure that the technical issues that have plagued Pokémon GO will not be present in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. While the developer has kept Pokémon GO players engaged with continuous updates, there have been many major mishaps, including the failed Pokémon GO Fest in Chicago.
