Niantic Labs have had phenomenal success with Pokemon Go. Regardless of the assorted problems users have experienced with the title, it was still one of the first to demonstrate some of the potential of augmented reality (AR). Niantic Labs are now taking things a step further and are building a new AR title called Harry Potter: Wizards Unite.
Harry Potter, like Pokemon, remains incredibly popular, with the recent stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child selling out shows, Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter likewise raking in the cash. With that in mind, it surely was only a matter of time before someone devised a way to let mobile phone users throw spells at each other with the power of AR.
Though there are currently few details as to how the gameplay will operate, what is known so far suggests that the title will owe much to another of Niantic’s previous works, Ingress. Ingress is a location-based mobile title that let users travel to various locations, tapping into various sources of power, defending various locations and discovering new things about the environment around them.
One the face of it, this would seem like a good fit for the Harry Potter universe. Pokemon Go and Ingress both divide players into coloured teams, which seems like a neat fit for the Hogwarts houses. Locations such as Kings Cross Station are bound to contain some interesting power-ups, and ‘unplottable’ hidden wizarding locations can be scattered across the world for users to discover.
According to TechCrunch, The title is expected to be released sometime in 2018, co-developed by Warner Bros. Interactive. Harry Potter fans will no doubt be hoping for a wand accessory similar to the Pokemon Go tracker.
VRFocus will bring you further information on Harry Potter: Wizards Unite as it becomes available.