Skip to content

Wizards Unite: Pokémon GO devs planning Harry Potter game

Big news today for fans of wizarding fiction. The team behind the wildly successful Pokémon GO app are planning a similar mobile game to be based on the Harry Potter franchise.

Developers Niantic made their name with Ingress, an augmented reality game that turned the real world into a playfield and encouraged exploration and interaction with the environment. Later, Niantic teamed up with Nintendo to create Pokémon GO, and the team is now working in partnership with Warner Brothers to develop a new game.

Like the previous titles, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will be a location-based augmented reality extravaganza. There’s a lot to work with in the Harry Potter universe, and though details are scarce, Niantic says 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.” We wouldn’t be surprised to see a bit of chocolate frog collecting thrown in too.

A Harry Potter game from Niantic has been talked about ever since the launch of Pokémon GO last year, but many assumed it was just wishful thinking from the fans. It’s nice to finally see an official announcement on the subject. Although there’s no specific release date beyond “2018” we imagine it will launch at the start of summer to capitalize on good weather and school holidays. Considering the popularity of Harry Potter, we wouldn’t be surprised if this game becomes a worldwide phenomenon for a few months just as Pokémon GO did when it first launched.

We wonder if there will be extra treats in store for those who visit platform 9 and three-quarters at Kings Cross station in London?